NOTES 


THE  BOOK  or  EXODUS. 


UNIVERSITY 


1  He  led  them  forth  byihe  right  way." 
(Psalm  cvii.  7.) 


NEW  YORK: 
LOIZEAUX  BROTHERS,  96  FOURTH  AVENUE. 

1880. 


PKEFATOKY  NOTE 

TO   THE   AMERICAN  EDITION. 


As  several  persons  in  America  have,  without  any  au- 
thority whatever  from  me,  undertaken  to  publish  my 
four  volumes  of  " Notes,"  I  deem  it  my  duty  to  inform 
the  reader  that  I  have  given  full  permission  to  Messrs. 
LOIZEAUX  BROTHERS  to  publish  an  edition  of  those  books 
in  such  form  as  they  shall  consider  most  suitable. 


C.  II.  MACKINTOSH. 


6  West  Park  Terrace,  Scarborough. 
May  1st,  1879. 


PEEFACE  TO  THE  THIED  EDITION. 


rriHE  writer  cannot  suffer  a  new  edition  of  this  volume 
to  issue  from  the  press  without  a  line  or  two  of  deep 
thankfulness  to  the  Lord  for  His  grace  in  making  use  of 
such  a  feeble  instrumentality  in  the  furtherance  of  His 
truth  and  the  edification  of  His  people.  Blessed  be  His 
name,  when  He  takes  up  a  book  or  a  tract,  He  can  make  it 
effectual  in  the  accomplishment  of  His  gracious  ends.  He 
can  clothe  with  spiritual  power  pages  and  paragraphs 
which  to  us  might  seem  pointless  and  powerless.  May  He 
continue  to  own  and  bless  this  service,  and  His  name  shall 
have  all  the  praise. 

C.  H.  M. 
Dublin,  April,  1862. 


PEEFAOE. 


F  manuscript  and  proof-sheets,  we  have  been  traveling 
over  a  deeply  instructive  and  most  interesting  portion 
of  the  Word  of  God— THE  BOOK  OF  EXODUS. 

Redemption  by  blood  occupies  a  prominent  place  there- 
in,— it  characterizes  the  book.  God's  many  mercies  to  Jlis 
redeemed,  in  the  display  of  His  power,  the  patience  of  His 
love,  and  the  riches  of  His  grace,  flow  from  it.  The  great 
question  of  Israel's  relationship  to  God  is  settled  by  the 
blood  of  the  lamb.  It  changes  their  condition  entirely. 
Israel  within  the  blood-sprinkled  door-posts  was  God's 
redeemed,  blood-bought  people. 

God  being  holy,  and  Israel  guilty^  no  happy  relationship 
could  exist  between  them  till  judgment  had  been  accom- 
plished. Sin  must  be  judged.  A  happy  friendship  once 
existed  between  God  and  man,  on  the  ground  of  innocence ; 
but  sin  having  entered  and  snapped  the  link  asunder,  there 
can  be  no  reconciliation  but  through  the  full  expression  of 
the  moral  judgment  of  God  against  sin.  We  can  only  have 
''life  through  death."  God  is  the  God  of  holiness,  and  He 
must  judge  sin.  In  saving  the  sinner,  He  condemns  his 
sin.  The  cross  is  the  full  and  perfect  expression  of  this. 

Typically,  this  was  the  great  question,  on  "the  evening 
of  the  fourteenth  day  of  the  first, month;  namely,  How  can 
God  exempt  from  judgment ,  and  receive  into  His  favor,  those 
whom  His  holiness  condemns  ?  To  this  most  solemn  ques- 
tion, there  was  but  one  answer  that  would  satisfy  the  de- 
mands of  the  God  of  holiness,  and  that  was  the  blood  of  the 
Lamb  of  His  own  providing.  "When  I  see  the  blood,  I 
will  pass  over  you."  This  settled  the  all-important  ques- 


VI  PREFACE. 

tion.  It  was  one  of  life  or  death,  of  deliverance  or  judg- 
ment. The  blood-sprinkled  door-post  was  a  perfect  answer 
to  all  the  claims  of  holiness,  and  to  all  the  need  of  the 
congregation.  All  was  settled  now.  God  was  glorified, 
sin  judged  and  put  away,  and  Israel  saved  through  the 
blood  of  the  lamb. 

Blessed  truth  !  Israel  was  now  at  peace  with  God,  a 
sheltered,  saved,  and  happy  people,  though  still  in  Egypt 
— the  land  of  death  ajid  judgment.  God  was  now  pledged 
to  deliver  Israel, — precious  type  of  the  perfect  security  of 
all  who  are  trusting  to  the  blood  of  Christ !  They  were 
securely  and  peacefully  feeding  on  the  roasted  lamb,  when, 
"at  midnight,  the  Lord  smote  all  the  first-born  in  the  land 
of  Egypt,  from  the  first-born  of  Pharaoh  that  sat  on  his 
throne,  unto  the  first-born  of  the  captive  that  was  in  the 
dungeon,  and  all  the  first-born  of  cattle.  And  Pharaoh 
rose  up  in  the  night,  he  and  all  his  servants,  and  all  the 
Egyptians ;  and  there  was  a  great  cry  in  Egypt ;  for  there 
was  not  a  house  where  there  was  not  one  dead"  (xii.  29, 
30.).  "But  against  any  of  the  children  of  Israel  shall  not 
a  dog  move  his  tongue,  against  man  or  beast ;  that  ye  may 
know  how  that  the  Lord  doth  put  a  difference  between  the 
Egyptians  and  Israel."  (xi.  7.) 

But  why,  some  may  ask,  put  this  difference  ?  The  Israel- 
ites were  sinners  as  well  as  the  Egyptians.  True,  on  this 
ground  there  was  "no  difference ;  "  but,  in  type,  the  judg- 
ment of  God  against  sin  had  been  expressed  in  the  death 
of  the  unblemished  lamb.  The  blood  "on  the  lintel  and 
the  two  side-posts  "  was  the  proof  of  this.  It  proclaimed, 
with  a  loud  voice,  that  the  lamb  was  slain,  the  ransom 
paid,  the  captive  freed,  justice  satisfied,  and  the  hour  of 
Israel's  deliverance  fully  come.  It  was  the  blood  that  made 
the  difference,  and  nothing  else;  "for  all  have  sinned  and 
come  short  of  the  glory  of  God."  (Rom.  iii.  23.) 

But  oh,  what  a  difference  !  The  one,  divinely  shielded 
from  the  sword  of  judgment;  the  other,  defenceless  and 


PREFACE.  V1L 

slain  by  it:  the  one,  feasting  on  the  rich  provisions  of 
grace ;  the  other,  compelled  to  taste  the  bitterness  of  the 
cup  of  wrath.  The  destroying  angel  entered  every  house, 
throughout  all  the  land  of  Egypt,  that  was  not  sprinkled 
with  the  blood.  The  first-born  of  Pharaoh  on  the  throne, 
and  the  first-born  of  the  captive  in  the  dungeon,  fell 
together. 

No  rank,  age,  or  character  escaped.  The  day  of  God's 
long-suffering  was  ended,  and  the  hour  of  His  judgment 
was  come.  One  thing  alone  guided  the  angel  of  death  on 
that  dark  and  dreadful  night,  and  that  was,  WHERE 
THERE  IS  NO  BLOOD,  THERE  IS  NO  SALVATION. 

Dear  reader,  this  is  as  true  now  as  it  was  then  !  Where 
there  is  no  blood,  there  is  no  salvation, — "without  shed- 
ding of  blood  is  no  remission."  Can  any  question  be  of 
such  importance  to  you  as  this  one :  Am  I  shielded  by  the 
blood  of  Jesus?  Oh!  have  you  fled  for  refuge  to  the  blood 
that  was  shed  on  Calvary?  There,  "^Christ,  our  passover, 
was  sacrificed  for  us."  His  blood  is  represented  as  being 
sprinkled  on  "the  mercy-seat  above."  There,  God's  eye 
ever  sees  the  blood  of  our  trueipaschal  Lamb.  Have  you 
faith  in  that  precious  blood  ?  Though  deeply  sensible  of 
your  guilt,  can  you  say  in  truth,  This  is  my  only  hiding- 
place:  I  do  depend  upon  the  blood?  Then  rest  assured 
that  you  are  perfectly  safe — that  you  are  eternally  saved. 
You  have  God's  own  word  for  it — "When  I  see  the  blood, 
I  will  pass  over  you." — "We  have  redemption  through  His 
blood,  the  forgiveness  of  sins,  according  to  the  riches  of 
His  grace." — "But  now,  in  Christ  Jesus,  ye  who  some- 
times were  far  off,  are  made  nigh  by  the  blood  of  Christ." — 
"Whom  God  hath  set  forth  to  be  a  propitiation  through 
faith  in  His  blood."  (Eph.  i.  7;  ii.  13;  Rom.  iii.  25.) 

"Happy  they  who  trust  in  Jesus, 
Sweet  their  portion  is  and  sure." 

But,  on  the  other  hand,  if  the  blood  of  Jesus  is  neglected 
or  despised,  there  can  be  no' security,  no  peace,  and  no  sal- 


Vlll  PREFACE. 

vation.  "How  shall  we  escape  if  we  neglect  so  great  salva- 
tion ?"  (Heb.  ii.  3.)  Unless  the  destroying  angel  sees  the 
blood,  he  enters  as  the  judge  of  sin.  Every  sin  must  be 
punished,  either  in  the  person  of  the  sinner,  or  the  sinner's 
substitute.  This  is  a  deeply  solemn  truth ;  but  how  blessed 
to  know  that  "Christ  hath  once  suffered  for  sins,  the  just 
for  the  unjust,  that  He  might  bring  us  to  God."  " For  He 
hath  made  Him  to  be  sin  for  us,  who  knew  no  sin,  that  WTC 
might  be  made  the  righteousness  of  God  in  Him."  (1  Peter 
iii.  18;  2  Cor.  v.  21.)  To  neglect  this  divine  Substitute, 
and  the  shelter  which  He  has  provided,  is  to  expose  the 
soul  to  the  unrelenting  judgment  of  God.  No  sin,  however 
small,  can  escape  judgment,  either  on  the  cross  of  Christ, 
or  in  the  lake  of  fire.  Oh,  the  priceless  value  of  that  blood 
which  "cleanseth  us  from  ALL  sin"! — which  makes  us 
clean  enough  for  heaven  ! 

[Redemption  being  now  accomplished,  and  Israel  divinely 
prepared,  they  commence  their  journey.  But  observe,  in 
passing,  how  they  start.  Before  taking  one  step,  cvory 
question  between  the  conscience  and  God  is  divinely 
settled.  They  are  forgiven,  justified,  and  accepted,  in  His 
sight.  Hence  it  is  written,  "When  Israel  was  a  child,  then 
I  loved  him,  and  called  my  son  out  of  Egypt."  (Hosea  xi. 
1.)  Blessed  type  of  the  real  condition  in  which  every  true 
believer  begins  his  Christian  course  !  He  may  not  see  this 
blessed  truth,  or  he  may  have  a  very  feeble  apprehension 
of  it,  as  Israel  had,  but  that  does  not  alter  the  fact.  God 
acts  according  to  His  own  knowledge  of  the  relationship, 
and  the  affections  which  belong  to  it.  We  see  this  in  the 
glorious  deliverance  of  His  beloved  people  at  the  Red  Sea, 
in  the  manna  from  heaven,  the  water  from  the  flinty  rock, 
and  in  the  pillar  of  His  presence,  which  accompanied  them 
in  all  their  wanderings.  He  ever  acts  according  to  the 
purposes  of  His  love,  and  the  value  of  the  blood  of 
Jesus. 

Once  more,  dear  reader,  allow  me  to  ask,  Arc  you  sure 


PREFACE.  IX 

that  you  are  under  the  safe  shelter,  the  secure  refuge,  the 
blessed  hiding-place,  of  the  Redeemer's  blood  ? 

But  I  must  now  leave  my  reader,  earnestly  recommend- 
ing him  to  pursue  the  journey  across  the  wilderness  in 
company  with  God  and  His  redeemed.  He  will  find  the 
"Notes"  most  useful.  They  convey  truth,  agreeably  and 
intelligently  to  the  heart,  the  conscience,  and  the  under- 
standing. May  many  find  them  to  be  a  real  oasis  in  the 
desert.  The  journey  will  prove  a  most  profitable  one  if 
we  thereby  learn  more  of  the  natural  unbelief  of  our  own 
heart  and  the  abiding  faithfulness  of  God's.  He  never 
changes,  blessed  be  His  name ;  and  the  blood  of  the  slain 
Lamb  never  loses  its  efficacy. 

"Blest  Lamb  of  God  !  Thy  precious  blood 

Shall  never  loco  its  power, 
Till  every  ransomed  saint  of  God 
Be  saved  to  sin  no  more." 

May  the  Lord  graciously  own  and  use  the  following 
"Notes"  for  His  own  glory  and  the  blessing  of  many 
souls. 

A.  M. 

.London. 


CONTENTS. 


CHAPTER  I,    - 

"          II.  1-10,    - 
"          II.   11-25, 

III,     - 

IV, 

"          V.  &  VI,    - 
"          VII.— XI, 

XII,   -       .- 
"          XIII, 

XIV,- 
"          XV, 
"          XVI,- 
"          XVII,     - 
"          XVIII, 

XIX,      - 
"          XX,    - 

"       %xxi.— xxnr, 

XXIV, 
"          XXV,     - 

XXVI, 

"          XXVII,- 
"          XXVIII.  &  XXIX,    - 
"          XXX,     - 

XXXI, 

"          XXXII,- 
"          XXXIII.  &  XXXIV, 
"          XXXV.— XL, 


OF  THE 


NOTES 

ON 

THE  BOOK  OF  EXODUS, 


CHAPTER  I. 

WE  now  approach,  by  the  mercy  of  God,  the 
study  of  the  Book  of  Exodus,  of  which  the 
great  prominent  theme  is  redemption.  The  first  five 
verses  recall  to  the  mind  the  closing  scenes  of  the 
preceding  book.  The  favored  objects  of  God's 
electing  love  are  brought  before  us ;  and  we  find 
ourselves  very  speedily  conducted,  by  the  inspired 
penman,  into  the  action  of  the  book. 

In  our  meditations  on  the  Book  of  Genesis,  we 
were  led  to  see  that  the  conduct  of  Joseph's  breth- 
ren toward  him  was  that  which  led  to  their  being 
brought  down  into  Egypt.  This  fact  is  to  be  looked 
at  in  two  ways.  In  the  first  place,  we  can  read 
therein  a  deeply  solemn  lesson,  as  taught  in  Israel's 
actings  toward  God  ;  and,  secondly,  we  have  therein 
unfolded  an  encouraging  lesson,  as  taught  in  God's 
actings  toward  Israel. 

And,  first,  as  to  Israel's  actings  toward  God,  what 
can  be  more  deeply  solemn  than  to  follow  out  the 
results  of  their  treatment  of  him  who  stands  before 


2  EXODUS. 

the  spiritual  mind  as  the  marked  type  of  the  Lord 
Jesus  Christ  ?  They,  utterly  regardless  of  the  an- 
guish of  his  soul,  consigned  Joseph  into  the  hands 
of  the  uncircumcised.  And  what  was  the  issue, 
as  regards  them  ?  They  were  carried  down  into 
Egypt,  there  to  experience  the  deep  and  painful 
exercises  of  heart  which  are  so  graphically  and 
touchingly  presented  in  the  .closing  chapters  of 
Genesis.  Nor  was  this  all.  A  long  and  dreary 
season  awaited  their  offspring  in  that  very  land  in 
which  Joseph  had  found  a  dungeon. 

But  then  God  was  in  all  this,  as  well  as  man ;  aid 
it  is  His  prerogative  to  bring  good  out  of  evil. 
Joseph's  brethren  might  sell  him  to  the  Ishmaelites, 
and  the  Ishmaelites  might  sell  him  to  Potiphar,  and 
Potiphar  might  cast  him  into  prison ;  but  Jehovah 
was  above  all,  and  He  was  accomplishing  His  own 
mighty  ends.  "The  wrath  of  man  shall  praise 
Him."  The  time  had  not  arrived  in  which  the  heirs 
were  ready  for  the  inheritance  and  the  inheritance 
for  the  heirs.  The  brick-kilns  of  Egypt  were  to 
furnish  a  rigid  school  for  the  seed  of  Abraham, 
while  as  yet  "the  iniquity  of  the  Amorites"  was 
rising  to  a  head  amid  the  " hills  and  valleys"  of 
the  promised  land.. 

All  this  is  deeply  interesting  and  instructive. 
There  are  "wheels  within  wheels"  in  the  govern- 
ment of  God.  He  makes  use  of  an  endless  variety 
of  agencies  in  the  accomplishment  of  His  unsearch- 
able designs.  Potiphar's  wife,  Pharaoh's  butler, 
Pharaoh's  dreams,  Pharaoh  himself,  the  dungeon, 


CHAPTER    I.  6 

the  throne,  the  fetter,  the  royal  signet,  the  famine — 
all  are  at  His  sovereign  disposal,  and  all  are  made 
instrumental  in  the  development  of  His  stupendous 
counsels.  The  spiritual  mind  delights  to  dwell  upon 
this, — it  delights  to  range  through  the  wide  domain 
of  creation  and  providence,,  and  to  recognize,  in  all, 
the  machinery  which  an  All- wise  and  an  Almighty 
God  is  using  for  the  purpose  of  unfolding  His  coun- 
sels of  redeeming  love.  True,  we  may  see  many 
traces  of  the  serpent,  — many  deep  and  well-defined 
footprints  of  the  enemy  of  God  and  man, — many 
things  which  we  cannot  explain  nor  even  compre- 
hend ;  suffering  innocence  and  successful"  wicked- 
ness may  furnish  an  apparent  basis  for  the  infidel 
reasoning  of  the  sceptic  mind  ;  but  the  true  believer 
can  piously  repose  in  the  assurance  that  "the  Judge 
of  all  the  earth  shall  do  right."  He  knows*  right 
well  that^- 

"  Blind  unbelief  is  sure  to  err, 
And  scan  His  ways  in  vain; 
God  is  His  own  interpreter, 
And  He  will  make  it  plain." 

.  Blessed  be  God  for  the  consolation  and  encour- 
agement flowing  out  of  such  reflections  as  these. 
We  need  them  every  hour  while  passing  through  an 
evil  world,  in  which  the  enemy  has  wrought  such 
appalling  mischief,  in  which  the  lusts  and  passions- 
of  men  produce  such  bitter  fruits,  and  in  which  the 
path  of  the  true  disciple  presents  roughnesses  which 
mere  nature  could  never  endure.  Faith  knows,  of  a 
surety,  that  there  is  One  behind  the  scenes  whom 


4  EXODUS. 

the  world  sees  not  nor  regards ;  and,  in  the  con- 
sciousness of  this,  it  can  calmly  say,  "It  is  well," 
and,  "It  shall  be  well." 

The  above  train  of  thought  is  distinctly  suggested 
by  the  opening  lines  of  our  book.  "  God's  counsel 
shall  stand,  and  He  will  do  all  His  pleasure."  The 
'enemy  may  oppose,  but  God  will  ever  prove  Himself 
to  be  above  him ;  and  all  we  need  is  a  spirit  of  simple, 
childlike  confidence  and  repose  in  the  divine  purpose. 
Unbelief  will  rather  look  at  the  enemy's  efforts  to 
countervail  than  at  God's  power  to  accomplish.  It 
is  on  the  latter  that  faith  fixes  its  eye.  Thus  it  ob- 
tains victory  and  enjoys  abiding  peace.  It  has  to 
do  with  God  and  His  infallible  faithfulness.  It  rests 
not  upon  the  ever-shifting  sands  of  human  affairs 
and  earthly  influences,  but  upon  the  immovable  rock 
of  Gold's  eternal  Word.  That  is  faith's  holy  and 
solid  resting-place.  Come  what  may,  it  abides  in 
that  sanctuary  of  strength.  "Joseph  died,  and  all 
his  brethren,  and  all  that  generation."  What  then  ? 
Could  death  affect  the  counsels  of  the  living  God  ? 
Surely  not.  He  only  waited  for  the  appointed  m< 
ment — the  due  time,  and  then  the  most  hostile  influ- 
ences were  made  instrumental  in  the  developmen 
of  His  purposes. 

"Now  there  arose  up  a  new  king  over  Egypt, 
•which  knew  not  Joseph.  And  he  said  unto  his  peo- 
ple, '  Behold  the  people  of  the  children  of  Israel  are 
more  and  mightier  than  we:  come  on,  let  us  deal 
wisely  with  them,  lest  they  multiply,  and  it  come  to 
pass  that  when  there  falleth  out  any  war  they  join 


CHAPTER    I.  0 

also  unto  our  enemies  and  fight  against  us,  and  so 
get  them  up  out  of  the  land."  (Yer.  8-10.)  All 
this  is  the  reasoning  of  a  heart  that  had  never  learnt 
to  take  God  into  its  calculations.  The  unrenewed 
heart  never  can  do  so ;  and  hence,  the  moment  you 
introduce  God,  all  its  reasonings  fall  to  the  ground. 
Apart  from,  or  independent  of,  Him,  they  may  seem 
very  wise ;  but  only  bring  Him  in,  and  they  are 
proved  to  be  perfect  folly. 

But  why  should  we  allow  our  minds  to  be,  in  any 
wise,  influenced  by  reasonings  and  calculations 
which  depend,  for  their  apparent  truth,  upon  the 
total  exclusion  of  God  ?  To  do  so  is,  in  principle, 
and  according  to  its  measure,  practical  atheism. 
In  Pharaoh's  case,  we  see  that  he  could  accurately 
recount  the  various  contingencies  of  human  affairs, 
— the  multiplying  of  the  people,  the  falling  oat  of 
war,  their  joining  with  the  enemy,  their  escape  out 
of  the  land.  All  these  circumstances  he  could,  with 
uncommon  sagacity,  put  into  the  scale  ;  but  it  never 
once  occurred  to  him  that  God  could  have  anything 
whatever  to  do  in  the  matter.  Had  he  only  thought 
of  this,  it  would  have  upset  his  entire  reasoning, 
and  have  written  folly  upon  all  his  schemes. 

Now,  it  is  well  to  see  that  it  is  ever  thus  with  the 
reasonings  of  man's  sceptic  mind.  God  is  entirely 
shut  out ;  yea,  the  truth  and  consistency  thereof  de- 
pend upon  His  being  kept  out.  The  death-blow  to 
all  scepticism  and  infidelity  is  the  introduction  of 
God  into  the  scene.  Till  He  is  seen,  they  may  strut 
up  and  down  upon  the  stage  with. an  amazing  show 


6  EXODUS. 

of  wisdom  and  cleverness  ;  but  the  moment  the  eye 
catches  even  the  faintest  glimpse  of  that  blessed 
One,  they  are  stripped  of  their  cloak,  and  disclo^d 
in  all  their  nakedness  and  deformity. 

In  reference  to  the  king  of  Egypt,  it  may  assur- 
edly be  said,  he  did  "greatly  err,"  not  knowing 
God  or  His  changeless  counsels.  He  knew  not  that, 
hundreds  of  years  back,  before  ever  he  had  breathed 
the  breath  of  mortal  life,  God's  word  and  oath — 
"two  immutable  things" — had  infallibly  secured 
the  full  and  glorious  deliverance  of  that  very  people 
whom  he  was  going,  in  his  wisdom,  to  crush.  All 
this  was  unknown  to  him,  and  therefore  all  his 
thoughts  and  plans  were  founded  upon  ignorance  of 
that  grand  foundation-truth  of  all  truths,  namely, 
that  GOD  IS.  He  vainly  imagined  that  he,  by  his 
management,  could  prevent  the  increase  of  those 
concerning  whom  God  had  said,  "They  shall  be  as 
the  stars  of  heaven,  and  as  the  sand  which  is  upon 
the  sea-shore."  His  wise  dealing,  therefore,  was 
simply  madness  and  folly. 

The  wildest  misfake  which  a  man  can  possibly  fall 
into  is  to  act  without  taking  God  into  his  account. 
Sooner  or  later,  the  thought  of  God  will  force  itself 
upon  him,  and  then  comes  the  awful  crash  of  all  his 
schemes  and  calculations.  At  best,  everything  that 
is  undertaken  independently  of  God,  can  last  but 
for  the  present  time.  It  cannot,  by  any  possibility, 
stretch  itself  into  eternity.  All  that  is  merely  hu- 
man, however  solid,  however  brilliant,  or  however 
attractive,  must  fall  into  the  cold  grasp  of  death, 


CHAPTER    I.  7 

and  moulder  in  the  dark,  silent  tomb.  The  clod  of 
the  valley  must^  cover  man's  highest  excellencies 
and  brightest  glories ;  mortality  is  engraved  upon 
IJL  .  ,-jrow,  and  all  his  schemes  are  evanescent.  On 
the  contrary,  that  which  is  connected  with,  and 
based  upon,  God,  shall  endure  forever.  "His  name 
shall  endure  forever,  and  His  memorial  to  all  gen- 
erations." 

What  a  sad  mistake,  therefore,  for  a  feeble  mortal 
to  set  himself  up  against  the  eternal  God, — to  "rush 
upon  the  thick  bosses  of  the  shield  of  the  Almighty"  ! 
As  well  might  the  monarch  of  Egypt  have  sought  to 
stem,  with  his  puny  hand,  the  ocean's  tide,  as  to 
prevent  the  increase  of  those  who  were  the  subjects 
of  Jehovah's  everlasting  purpose.  Hence,  although 
4 '  they  did  set  over  them  taskmasters  to  afflict  them 
with  their  burdens,"  yet,  "the  more  they  afflicted 
them,  the  more  they  multiplied  and  grew."  Thus 
it  must  ever  be.  "He  that  sitteth  in  the  heavens 
shall  laugh  ;  the  Lord  shall  have  them  in  derision." 
(Ps.  ii.  4.)  Eternal  confusion  shall  be  inscribed 
upon  all  the  opposition  of  men  and  devils.  This 
gives  sweet  rest  to  the  heart  in  the  midst  of  a  scene 
where  all  is  apparently  so  contrary  to  God  and  so 
contrary  to  faith.  Were  it  not  for  the  settled  assur- 
ance that  "the  wrath  of  man  shall  praise"  the  Lord, 
the  spirit  would  often  be  cast  down  while  contem- 
plating the  circumstances  and  influences  which  sur- 
round one  in  the  world.  Thank  God,  "we  look  not 
at  the  things  which  are  seen,  but  at  the  things  which 
are  not  seen :  for  the  things  which  are  seen  are 


O  EXODUS. 

temporal ;  but  the  things  which  are  not  seen  are 
eternal."  (2  Cor.  iv.  18.)  In  the  power  of  this,  we 
may  well  say,  "Itest  in  the  Lord,  and  ivait  patiently 
for  Him :  fret  not  thyself  because  of  him  who  pros- 
pereth  in  his  way,  because  of  the  man  who  bringeth 
wicked  devices  to  pass."  (Ps.  xxxvii.  7.)  How 
fully  might  the  truth  of  this  be  seen  in  the  case  of 
both  the  oppressed  and  the  oppressor,  as  set  before 
us  in  our  chapter !  Had  Israel ' '  looked  at  the  things 
that  are  seen,"  what  were  they  ?  Pharaoh's  wrath, 
stern  taskmasters,  afflictive  burdens,  rigorous  serv- 
ice, hard  bondage,  mortar  and  brick.  But,  then, 
"the  things  which  are  not  seen,"  what  were  they? 
God's  eternal  purpose,  His  unfailing  promise,  the 
approaching  dawn  of  a  day  of  salvation,  the  "burn- 
ing lamp"  of  Jehovah's  deliverance.  Wondrous 
contrast  !  Faith  alone  could  enter  into  it.  Naught 
save  that  precious  principle  could  enable  any  poor, 
oppressed  Israelite  to  look  from  out  the  smoking 
furnace  of  Egypt,  to  the  green  fields  and  vine-clad 
mountains  of  the  land  of  Canaan.  Faith  alone 
could  recognize  in  those  oppressed  slaves,  toiling  in 
the  brick-kilns  of  Egypt,  the  heirs  of  salvation,  aud 
the  objects  of  Heaven's  peculiar  interest  and  favor. 

Thus  it  was  then,  and  thus  it  is  now.  "We  walk 
by  faith,  not  by  sight."  (2  Cor.  v.  7.)  "It  doth 
not  yet  appear  what  we  shall  be."  (1  John  iii.  2.) 
We  are  "here  in  the  body  pent,"  "absent  from  the 
Lord."  As  to  fact,  we  are  in  Egypt,  yet,  in  spirit, 
we  are  in  the  heavenly  Canaan.  Faith  brings  the 
heart  into  the  power  cf  divine  and  unseen  things, 


CHAPTER    II.     1-10.  9 

and  thus  enables  it  to  mount  above  everything  down 
here,  in  this  place  "where  death  and  darkness  reign." 
O,  for  that  simple  childlike  faith  that  sits  beside  the 
pure  and  eternal  fountain  o.f  truth,  there  to  drink 
those  deep  and  refreshing  draughts  which  lift  up  the 
fainting  spirit  and  impart  energy  to  the  new  man, 
in  its  upward  and  onward  course  ! 

The  closing  verses  of  this  section  of  our  book 
present  an  edifying  lesson  in  the  conduct  of  those 
God-fearing  women,  Shiprah  and  Puah.  They  would 
not  carry  out  the  king's  cruel  scheme,  but  braved 
his  wrath,  and  hence  God  made  them  houses. 
"Them  that  honor  Me  I  will  honor,  and  they  that 
despise  Me  shall  be  lightly  esteemed."  (1  Sam.  ii. 
30.  )  May  we  ever  remember  this,  andact  for  God, 
under  all  circumstances  ! 


CHAPTER  II.  V- 


THIS  section  of  our  book  abounds  in  the  weighti- 
est principles  of  divine  truth  —  principles  which 
range  themselves  under  the  three  following  heads,  ft 
namely,  the  power  of  Satan,  the  power  of  God,  and  U 
the  power  of  faith.  * 

In  the  last  verse  of  the  previous  chapter,  we  read, 
"And  Pharaoh  charged  all  his  people,  saying,  'Every 
son  that  is  born  ye  shall  cast  into  the  river.  '  "  This 
was  Satan's  power.  The  river  was  the  place  of 


10  EXODUS. 

death ;  and,  by  death,  the  enemy  sought  to  frustrate 
the  purpose  of  God.  It  has  ever  been  thus.  The 
serpent  has  -at  all  times  watched  with  malignant  eye 
those  instruments  which  God  was  about  to  use  for 
His  own  gracious  ends.  Look  at  the  case  of  Abel, 
in  Genesis  iv.  What  was  that  but  the  serpent  watch- 
ing God's  vessel  and  seeking  to  put  it  out  of  the 
way  by  death  ?  Look  at  the  case  of  Joseph,  in 
Genesis  xxxvii.  There  you  have  the  enemy  seeking 
to  put  the  man  of  God's  purpose  in  the  place  of 
death.  Look  at  the  case  of  "the  seed  royal,"  in 
2  Chronicles  xxii ;  the  act  of  Herod,  in  Matthew  ii ; 
the  death  of  Christ,  in  Matthew  xxvii.  In  all  these 
cases,  you  find  the  enemy  seeking,  by  death,  to  in- 
terrupt the  current  of  divine  action. 

But,  blessed  be  God,  there  is  something  beyond 
death.  The  entire  sphere  of  divine  action,  as  con- 
nected with  redemption,  lies  beyond  the  limits  cf 
death's  domain.  When  Satan  has  exhausted  his 
power,  then  God  begins  to  show  Himself.  The 
grave  is  the  limit  of  Satan's  activity ;  but  there  it 
is  that  divine  activity  begins.  This  is  a  glorious 
truth.  Satan  has  the  power  of  death ;  but  God  is 
the  God  of  the  living,  and  He  gives  life  beyond  the 
reach  and  power  of  death — a  life  which  Satan  can- 
not touch.  The  heart  finds  sweet?  relief  in  such  a 
truth  as  this,  in  the  midst  of  a  scene  where  death 
reigns.  Faith  can  stand  and  look  on  at  Satan  put- 
ting forth  the  plenitude  of  his  power.  It  can  stay 
itself  upon  God's  mighty  instrumentality  of  resur- 
rection. It  can  take  its  stand  at  the  grave  which 


CHAPTER    II.     1-10.  11 

has  closed  over  a  beloved  object,  and  drink  in,  from 
the  lips  of  Him  who  is  "the  resurrection  and  the 
life,"  the  elevating  assurance  of  a  glorious  immor- 
tality. It  knows  that  God  is  stronger  than  Satan, 
and  it  can  therefore  quietly  wait  for  the  full  mani- 
festation of  that  superior  strength,  and,  in  thus 
waiting,  find  its  victory  and  its  settled  peace.  We 
have  a  noble  example  of  this  power  of  faith  in  tke 
opening  verses  of  our  chapter. 

"And  there  went  a  man  of  the  house  of  Levi, 
and  took  to  wife  a  daughter  of  Levi.  And  the 
woman  conceived  and  bare  a  son ;  and  when  she 
saw  him  that  he  was  a  goodly  child,  she  hid  him 
three  months.  And  when  she  could  no  longer  hide 
him,  she  took  for  him  an  ark  of  bulrushes  and 
daubed  it  with  slime  and  with  pitch,  and  put  the 
child  therein  ;  and  she  laid  it  in  the  flags  by  the 
river's  brink.  And  his  sister  stood  afar  off,  to  wit 
what  would  be  done  to  him."  (Chap.  ii.  1-4.)  Here 
we  have  a  scene  of  touching  interest,  in  whatever 
way  we  contemplate  it.  In  point  of  fact,  it  was 
simply  faith  triumphing  over  the  influences  of  nature 
and  death,  and  leaving  room  for  the  God  of  resur- 
rection to  act  in  His  own  proper  sphere  and  charac- 
ter. True,  the  enemy's  power  is  apparent,  in  the 
circumstance  that  the  child  had  to  be  placed  in  such 
position — a  position  of  death,  in  principle.  And, 
moreover,  a  sword  was  piercing  through  the  mother's 
heart  in  thus  beholding  her  precious  offspring  laid, 
as  it  were,  in  death.  Satan  might  act,  and  nature 
might  weep ;  but  the  Quickener  of  the  dead  was 


12  EXODUS. 

behind  the  dark  cloud,  and  faith  beheld  Him  there, 
gilding  heaven's  side  of  that  cloud  with  His  bright 
and  life-giving  beams.  "By  faith  Moses,  when  he 
was  born,  was  hid  three  months  of  his  parents,  be- 
cause they  saw  he  was  a  proper  child ;  and  they 
were  not  afraid  of  the  king's  commandment." 
(Heb.  xi.  23.) 

Thus  this  honored  daughter  of  Levi  teaches  us  a 
holy  lesson.  Her  "ark  of  bulrushes,  daubed  with 
slime  and  pitch,"  declares  her  confidence  in  the 
truth  that  there  was  a  something  which  could  keep 
out  the  waters  of  death,  in  the  case  of  this  "proper 
child,"  as  wrell  as  in  the  case  of  Noah,  "the  preacher 
of  righteousness."  Are  we  to  suppose,  for  a  mo- 
ment, that  this  "ark"  was  the  invention  of  mere 
nature  ?  Was  it  nature's  forethought  that  devised 
it  ?  or  nature's  ingenuity  that  constructed  it  ?  Was 
the  babe  placed  in  the  ark  at  the  suggestion  of  a 
mother's  heart,  cherishing  the  fond  but  visionary 
hope  of  thereby  saving  her  treasure  from  the  ruthless 
.  hand  of  death  ?  Were  we  to  reply  to  the  above  in- 
quiries in  the  affirmative,  we  should,  I  believe,  lose 
the  beauteous  teaching  of  this  entire  scene.  How 
could  we  ever  suppose  that  the  "  ark"  was  devised 
by  one  who  saw  no  other  portion  or  destiny  for  her 
child  but  death  by  drowning  9  Impossible.  We 
can  only  look  upon  that  significant  structure  as 
faith's  drafb  handed  in  at  the  treasury  of  the  God 
of  resurrection.  It  was  devised  by  the  hand  of 
faith,  as  a  vessel  of  mercy,  to  carry  "a  proper 
child"  safely  over  death's  dark  waters,  into  the 


CHAPTER    II.     1-10.  13 

place  assigned  him  by  the  immutable  purpose  of  the 
living  God.  When  we  behold  this  daughter  of  Levi 
bending  over  that  "ark  of  bulrushes,"  which  her 
faith  had  constructed,  and  depositing  therein  her 
babe,  we  see  her  "walking  in  the  steps  of  that  faith 
of  her  father  Abraham,  which  he  had,"  when  "he 
rose  up  from  before  his  dead,"  and  purchased  the 
cave  of  Machpelah  from  the  sons  of  Heth.  (Gen. 
xxiii.)  We  do  not  recognize  in  her  the  energy  of 
mere  nature,  hanging  over  the  object  of  its  affec- 
tions, about  to  fall  into  the  iron  grasp  of  the  king  of 
terrors.  No;  but  we  trace  in  her  the  energy  of  a 
faith  which  enabled  her  to  stand,  as  a  conqueror,  at 
the  margin  of  death's  cold  flood,  and  behold  the 
chosen  servant  of  Jehovah  in  safety  at  the  other  side. 

Yes,  my  reader,  faith  can  take  those  bold  and 
lofty  flights  into  regions  far  removed  from  this  land 
of  death  and  wide-spread  desolation.  Its  eagle  gaze 
can  pierce  the  gloomy  clouds  which  gather  arouuad 
the  tomb,  and  behold  the  God  of  resurrection  dis- 
playing the  results  of  His  everlasting  counsels,  in 
the  midst  of  a  sphere  which  no  arrow  of  death  can 
reach.  It  can  take  its  stand  upon  the  top  of  the 
Rock  of  Ages,  and  listen,  in  holy  triumph,  while 
the  surges  of  death  are  lashing  its  base. 

And  what,  let  me  ask,  was  "the  king's  command- 
ment" to  one  who  was  in  possession  of  this  heaven- 
born  principle  ?  What  weight  had  that  command- 
ment with  one  who  could  calmly  stand  beside  her 
"ark  of  bulrushes"  and  look  death  straight  in  the 
face?  The  Holy  Ghost  replies,  "They  were  not 


14  EXODUS. 

afraid  of  the  king's  commandment."  The  spirit 
that  knows  aught  of  communion  with  Him  who 
quickens  the  dead,  is  not  afraid  of  anything.  *  Such 
an  one  can  take  up  the  triumphant  language  of 
1  Cor.  xv,  and  say,  "O  death,  where  is  thy  sting? 
O  grave,  where  is  thy  victory  ?  The  sting  of  death 
is  sin,  and  the  strength  of  sin  is  the  law.  But 
thanks  be  to  God,  which  giveth  us  the  victory 
through  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ."  He  can  give  forth 
these  words  of  triumph  over  a  martyred  Abel ;  over 
Joseph  in  the  pit ;  over  Moses  in  the  ark  of  bul- 
rushes ;  in  the  midst  of  "the  seed  royal, ".slain  by 
the  hand  of  Athaliah  ;  amid  the  babes  of  Bethlehem, 
murdered  by  the  hand  of  the  cruel  Herod ;  and  far 
above  all,  he  can  utter  them  at  the  -tomb  of  the 
Captain  of  our  salvation. 

Now,  it  may  be  there  are  some  who  cannot  trace 
the  activities  of  faith,  in  the  matter  of  the  ark  of 
bulrushes.  Many  may  not  be  able  to  travel  beyond 
the  measure  of  Moses'  sister,  when  ushe  stood  afar 
off,  to  wit  what  would  be  done  to  him."  It  is  very 
evident  that  ' '  his  sister ' '  was  not  up  to  c '  the  meas- 
ure of  faith"  possessed  by  "his  mother."  No 
doubt  she  possessed  deep  interest  and  true  affection, 
such  as  we  may  trace  in  "Mary  Magdalene  and  the 
other  Mary  sitting  over  against  the  sepulchre" 
(Matt,  xxvii.  61.);  but  there  was  something  far 
beyond  either  interest  or  affection  in  the  maker  of 
the  "ark."  True,  she  did  not  "stand  afar  off,  to 
wit  what  would  be  clone  to"  her  child,  and  hence, 
what  frequently  happens,  the  dignity  of  faith  might 


CHAPTER    II.     1-10.  15 

seem  like  indifference,  on  her  part.  It  was  not, 
however,  indifference,  but  true  elevation — the  eleva- 
tion of  faith.  If  natural  affection  did  not  cause  her 
to  linger  near  the  scene  of  death,  it  was  only  be- 
cause the  power  of  faith  was  furnishing  her  with 
nobler  work  in  the  presence  of  the  God  of  resurrec- 
tion. Her  faith  had  cleared  the  stage  for  Him,  and 
most  gloriously  did  He  show  Himself  thereon. 

"And  the  daughter  of  Pharaoh  came  down  to 
wash  herself  at  the  river ;  and  her  maidens  walked 
along  by  the  river's  side  :  and  when  she  saw  the  ark 
among  the  flags,  she  sent  her  maid  to  fetch  it.  And 
when  she  had  opened  it,  she  saw  the  child ;  and, 
behold,  the  babe  wept.  And  she  had  compassion 
on  him,  and  said,  'This  is  one  of  the  Hebrews' 
children.'  '  Here,  then,  the  divine  response  begins 
to  break,  in  sweetest  accents,  on  the  ear  of  faith. 
God  was  in  all  this.  Rationalism,  or  scepticism,  or 
infidelity,  or  atheism,  may  laugh  at  such  an  idea. 
And  faith  can  laugh  also ;  but  the  two  kinds  of 
laughter  are  very  different.  The  former  laughs,  in 
cold  contempt,,  at  the  thought  of  divine  interference 
in  the  trifling  affair  of  a  ix^al  maiden's  walk  by  the 
river's  side:  the  latter  laughs,  with  real  heartfelt 
gladness,  at. the  thought  that  God  is  in  everything. 
And;,  assuredly,  if  ever  God  was  in  anything,  He 
was  in  this  walk  of  Pharaoh's  daughter,  though  she 
knew  it  not. 

The  renewed  mind  enjoys  one  of  its  sweetest 
exercises  while  tracing  the  divine  footsteps  in  cir- 
cumstances and  events  in  which  a  thoughtless  spirit 


1G  EXODUS. 

sees  only  blind  chance  or  rigid  fate.  The  most  tri- 
fling matter  may,  at  times,  turn  out  to  be  a  most 
important  link  in  a  chain  of  events  by  which  the 
Almighty  God  is  helping  forward  the  development 
of  His  grand  designs.  Look,  for  instance,  at  Esther 
vi.  1,  and  what  do  you  see  ?  A  heathen  monarch 
spending  a  restless  night.  No  uncommon  circum- 
stance, we  may  suppose  ;  and  yet,  this  very  circum- 
stance was  a  link  in  a  great  chain  of  providences  at 
the  end  of  which  you  find  the  marvelous  deliver- 
ance of  the  oppressed  seed  of  Israel. 

Thus  was  it  with  the  daughter  of  Pharaoh,  in  her 
walk  b}^  the  river's  side.  Little  did  she  think  that 
she  was  helping  forward  the  purpose  of  "the  Lord 
God  of  the  Hebrews."  How  little  idea  had  she  that 
the  weeping  babe  in  that  ark  of  bulrushes  was  yet  to 
be  Jehovah's  instrument  in  shaking  the  land  of  Egypt 
to  its  very  centre  !  Yet  so  it  was.  The  Lord  can 
make  the  wrath  of  man  to  praise  Him,  and  restrain 
the  remainder.  How  plainly  the  truth  of  this  ap- 
pears in  the  following  passage  ! — 

"Then  said  his  sister  to  Pharaoh's  daughter, 
'Shall  I  go  and  call  to  thee  a  nurse  of  the  Hebrew 
women,  that  she  may  nurse  the  child  for  thee  ? ' 
And  Pharaoh's  daughter  said  unto  her,  'Go.'  And 
the  maid  went  and  called  the  child's  mother.  And 
Pharaoh's  daughter  said  unto  her,  'Take  this  child 
away,  and  nurse  it  for  me,  and  I  will  give  thee  thy 
wages.'  And  the  woman  took  the  child  and  nursed 
it.  And  the  child  grew,  and  she  brought  him  unto 
Pharaoh's  daughter,  and  he  became  her  son.  And 


CHAPTER    II.     11-25.  17 

she  called  his  name  Moses;  and  she  said,  'Because 
I  drew  him  out  of  the  water.'  "  (Chap.  ii.  7-10.) 
The  beautiful  faith  of  Moses'  mother  here  meets  its 
full  reward  ;  Satan  is  confounded  ;  and  the  marvel- 
ous wisdom  of  God  is  displayed.  Who  would  have 
thought  that  the  one  who  had  said,  "  If  it  be  a  son, 
then  ye  shall  kill  him,"  and,  again,  "Every  son  that 
is  born  ye  shall  cast  into  the  river,"  should  have  in 
his  court  one  of  those  very  sons,  and  such  ua  son." 
The  devil  was  foiled  by  his  own  weapon,  inasmuch 
as  Pharaoh,  whom  he  was  using  to  frustrate  the  pur- 
pose of  God,  is  used  of  God  to  nourish  and  bring 
up  Moses,  who  was  to  be  His  instrument  in  con- 
founding the  power  of  Satan.  Remarkable  provi- 
dence !  Admirable  wisdom  !  Truly,  Jehtfvah  is 
"wonderful  in  counsel  and  excellent  in  working." 
May  we  learn  to  trust  Him  with  more  artless  sim- 
plicity, and  thus  our  path  shall  be  more  brilliant, 
and  our  testimony  more  effective. 


CHAPTER  II.    11—25. 

IN  considering  the  history  of  Moses,  we  must  look 
at  him   in  two  ways,   namely,   personally  and 
typically. 

First,  in  his  personal  character,  there  is  much, 
very  much,  for  us  to  learn.  God  had  not  only  to 
raise  him  up,  but  also  to  train  him,  in  one  way  or 
another,  for  the  lengthened  period  of  eighty  years ; 


18  EXODUS. 

first  in  the  house  of  Pharaoh's  daughter,  and  then 
at  "the  backside  of  the  desert."  This,  to  our  shal- 
low thoughts,  would  seem  an  immense  space  of  time 
to  devote  to  the  education  of  a  minister  of  God. 
But  then  God's  thoughts  are  not  as  our  thoughts. 
He  knew  the  need  of  those  forty  years  twice  told, 
in  the  preparation  of  His  chosen  vessel.  When  God 
educates,  He  educates  in  a  manner  worthy  of  Him- 
self and  His  most  holy  service.  He  will  not  have 
a  novice  to  do  His  work.  The  servant  of  Christ  has 
to  learn  many  a  lesson,  to  undergo  many  an  exercise, 
to  pass  through  many  a  conflict,  in  secret,  ere  he  is 
really  qualified  to  act  in  public.  Nature  does  not 
like  this.  It  would  rather  figure  in  public  than  learn 
in  private, — it  would  rather  be  gazed  upon  and  ad- 
mired by  the  eye  of  man  than  be  disciplined  by  the 
hand  of  God.  But  it  will  not  do.  We  must  take 
God's  way.  Nature  may  rush  into  the  scene  of 
operation  ;  but  God  does  not  want  it  there..  It  must 
be  withered,  crushed,  set  aside.  The  place  of  death 
is  the  place  for  nature.  If  it' will  be  active,  God 
will  so  order  matters,  in  His  infallible  faithfulness 
and  perfect  wisdom,  that  the  results  of  its  activity 
will  prove  its  utter  defeat  and  confusion.  He  knows 
what  to  do  with  nature,  where  to  put  it,  and  where 
to  keep  it.  O,  that  we  may  all  be  in  deeper  com- 
munion with  the  mind  of  God,  in  reference  to  self 
and  all  that  pertains  thereto  !  Then  shall  we  make 
fewer  mistakes ;  then  shall  our  path  be  steady  and 
elevated,  our  spirit  tranquil,  and  our  service  effective. 
"  And  it  came  to  pass  in  those  days,  when  Moses 


CHAPTER    II.     11-25.  19 

was  grown,  that  he  went  out  unto  his  brethren,  and 
looked  on  their  burdens  ;  and  he  spied  an  Egyptian 
smiting  a  Hebrew,  one  of  his  brethren.  And  he 
looked  this  way  and  that  way,  and  when  he  saw 
there  was  no  man,  he  slew  the  Egyptian,  and  hid 
him  in  the  sand."  This  was  zeal  for  his  brethren  ; 
but  it  was  "not  according  to  knowledge."  God's 
time  was  not  yet  come  for  judging  Egypt  and  deliv- 
ering Israel ;  and  the  intelligent  servant  will  ever 
wait  for  God's  time.  " Moses  was  grown,"  and  "he 
was  learned  in  all  the  wisdom  of  the  Egyptians;" 
and,  moreover,  "he  supposed  his  brethren  would 
have  understood  how  that  God  by  his  hand  would 
deliver  them."  All  this  was  true  ;  yet  he  evidently 
ran  before  the  time,  and  when  one  does  this,  failure 
mast  be  the  issue.* 


*Iii  Stephen's  address  to  the  council  at  Jerusalem,  there  is  an 
allusion  to  Moses'  acting,  to  which  it  may  be  Avell  to  advert.  "And 
when  he  was  lull  forty  years  old,  it  came  into  his  heart  to  visit  his 
brethren  the  children  of  Israel.  And  seeing  one  of  them  suffer 
wrong,  he  defended  him,  and  avenged  him  that  was  oppressed,  and 
smote  the  Egyptian;  for  he  supposed  his  brethren  would  have  un- 
derstood how  that  God  by  his  hand  would  deliver  them;  but  they 
understood  not."  (Acts  vii.  23-25.)  It  is  evident  that  Stephen's 
object,  in  his  entire  address,  was  to  bring  the  history  of  the  nation 
to  bear  upon  the  consciences  of  those  whom  he  had  before  him; 
and  it  would  have  been  quite  foreign  to  this  object,  and  at  variance 
with  the  Spirit's  rule  in  the  New  Testament,  to  raise  a  question  as 
to  whether  Moses  had  not  acted  before  the  divinely  appointed  time. 

Moreover,  he  merely  says,  "  it  came  into  his  heart  to  visit  his 
brethren."  He  does  not  say  that  God  sent  him,  at  that  time.  Nor 
does  this,  in  the  least,  touch  the  question  of  the  moral  condition  of 
those  who  rejected  him.  "They  understood  not."  This  was  the 
fact  as  to  them,  whatever  Moses  might  have  personally  to  learn  in 
the  matter.  The  spiritual  mind  can  have  no  difficulty  in  appre- 
hending this. 

Looking  at  Moses  typically,  we  can  see  the  mission  of  Christ  to 


20  EXODUS. 

And  not  only  is  there  failure  in  the  end,  but  also 
manifest  uncertainty,  and  lack  of  calm  elevation  and 
holy  independence  in  the  progress  of  a  work  begun 
before  God's  time.  Moses  "looked  this  ivay  and 
that  ivay."  There  is  no  need  of  this  when  a  man  is 
acting  with  and  for  God,  and  in  the  full  intelligence 
of  His  mind,  as  to  the  detail  of  his  work.  If  God's 
time  had  really  come,  and  if  Moses  was  conscious 
of  being  divinely  commissioned  to  execute  judgment 
upon  the  Egyptian,  and  if  he  felt  assured  of  the 
divine  presence  with  him,  he  would  not  have  "looked 
this  way  and  that  way." 

This  action  teaches  a  deep  practical  lesson  to  all 
the  servants  of  God.  .There  are  two  things  by  which 
it  is  superinduced,  namely,  the  fear  of  man's  wrath, 
and  the  hope  of  man's  favor.  The  servant  of  the 
living  God  should  neither  regard  the  one  nor  the 
other.  What  avails  the  wrath  or  favor  of  a  poor 
mortal  to  one  who  holds  the  divine  commission  and 
enjoys  the  divine  presence  ?  It  is,  in  the  judgment 
of  such  an  one,  less  than  the  small  dust  of  the  bal- 
ance. "Have  not  I  commanded  tliee?  Be  strong 
and  of  a  good  courage ;  be  not  afraid,  neither  be 
thou  dismayed :  for  the  Lord  thy  God  is  with  thee 
whithersoever  thou  goest."  (Joshua  i.  9.)  "Thou, 
therefore,  gird  up  thy  loins,  and  arise,  and  speak 


Israel,  and  their  rejection  of  Him,  and  refusal  to  have  Him  to  reign 
over  them.  On  the  other  hand,  looking  at  Moses  personally,  we 
find  that  he,  like  others,  made  mistakes  and  displayed  infirmities,— 
sometimes  went  too  fast  and  sometimes  too  slow.  All  this  is  easily 
understood,  and  only  tends  to  magnify  the  infinite  grace  and 
exhaustless  patience  of  God. 


CHAPTER    II.     11-25.  21 

unto  them  all  that  I  command  thee :  be  not  dismayed 
at  their  faces,  lest  I  confound  thee  before  them. 
For,  behold,  I  have  made  thee  this  clay  a  defenced 
city,  and  an  iron  pillar,  and  brazen  walls  against  the 
whole  land,  against  the  kings  of  Jndah,  against  the 
princes  thereof,  against  the  priests  thereof,  and 
against  the  people  of  the  land.  And  they  shall  fight 
against  thee,  but  they  shall  not  prevail  against  thee  ; 
for  /  am  ivith  thee,  saith  the  Lord,  to  deliver  thee." 
(Jer.  i.  17-19.) 

When  the  servant  of  Christ  stands  upon  the  ele- 
vated ground  set  forth  in  the  above  quotations,  he 
will  not  "look  this  way  and  that  way ; "  he  will  act 
on  wisdom's  heavenly  counsel — CiLet  thine  eyes  look 
straight  on,  and  thine  eyelids  look  straight  before 
thee."  Divine  intelligence  will  ever  lead  us  to  look 
upward  and  onward.  Whenever  we  look  around  to 
shun  a  mortal's  frown  or  catch  his  smile,  we  may 
rest  assured  there  is  something  wrong ;  we  are  off 
the  proper  ground  of  divine  service.  We  lack  the 
assurance  of  holding  the  divine  commission  and  of 
enjoying  the  divine  presence,  both  of  which  are 
absolutely  essential. 

True,  there  are  many  who,  through  profound  ig- 
norance, or  excessive  self-confidence,  stand  forward 
in  a  sphere  of  service  for  which  God  never  intended 
them,  and  for  which  He  therefore  never  qualified 
them.  And  not  only  do  they  thus  stand  forward, 
but  they  exhibit  an  amount  of  coolness  and  self- 
possession  perfectly  amazing  to  those  who  are  cap- 
able of  forming  an  impartial  judgment  about  their 


22  EXODUS. 

gifts  and  merits.  But  all  this  will  very  speedily  find 
its  level ;  nor  does  it  in  the  least  interfere  with  the 
integrity  of  the  principle  that  nothing  can  effectually 
deliver  a  man  from  the  tendency  to  "look  this  way 
and  that  way"  save  the  consciousness  of  the  divine 
commission  and  the  divine  presence.  When  these 
are  possessed,  there  is  entire  deliverance  from  human 
influence,  and  consequent  independence.  No  man 
is  in  a  position  to  serve  others  who  is  not  wholly 
independent  of  them ;  but  a  man  who  knows  his 
proper  place  can  stoop  and  wash  his  brethren's  feet. 
When  we  turn  away  our  eyes  from  man,  and  fix 
them  upon  the  only  true  and  perfect  Servant,  we  do 
not  find  Him  looking  this  way  and  that  way,  for  this 
simple  reason,  that  He  never  had  His  eye  upon  men, 
;  but  always  upon  God.  He  feared  not  the  wrath  of 
man,  nor  sought  his  favor.  He  never  opened  His 
lips  to  elicit  human  applause,  nor  kept  them  closed 
to  avoid  human  censure.  This  gave  holy  stability 
and  elevation  to  all  He  said  and  did.  Of  Him  alone 
could  it  be  truly  said,  "  His  leaf  shall  not  wither,  and 
ivkatsoever  he  cloeth  shall  prosper."  Everything  He 
did  turned  to  profitable  account,  because  everything 
was  done  to  God.  Every  action,  every  word,  every 
movement,  every  look,  every  thought,  was  like  a 
beauteous  cluster  of  fruit,  sent  up  to  refresh  the 
heart  of  God.  He  was  never  afraid  of  the  results  of 
His  work,  because  He  always  acted  with  and  for 
God,  and  in  the  full  intelligence  of  His  mind.  His 
own  will,  though  divinely  perfect,  never  once  mingled 
itself  in  aught  that  He  did,  as  a  man,  on  the  earth. 


CHAPTER    II.     11-25.  23 

He  could  say,  "I  came  down  from  heaven,  not  to  do 
Mine  own  will,  but  the  will  of  Him  that  sent  Me." 
Hence,  He  brought  forth  fruit  "in  its  season.'9  He 
did  ' '  always  those  things  which  pleased  the  Father, ' ' 
and  therefore  never  had  any  occasion  to  ' '  fear, ' '  to 
"repent,"  or  to  "look  this  way  and  that  way." 

Now  in  this,  as  in  everything  else,  the  blessed 
Master  stands  in  marked  contrast  with  His  most 
honored  and  eminent  servants.  Even  a  Moses 
"feared,"  and  a  Paul  "repented;"  but  the  Lord 
Jesus  never  did  either.  He  never  had  to  retrace  a 
step,  to  recall  a  word,  or  correct  a  thought.  All 
was  absolutely 'perfect :  all  was  "fruit  in  season." 
The  current  of  His  holy  and  heavenly  life  flowed  on- 
ward without  a  ripple  and  without  a  curve.  His  will 
was  divinely  subject.  The  best  and  most  devoted 
men  make  mistakes  ;  but  it  is  perfectly  certain  that 
the  more  we  are  enabled,  through  grace,  to  mortify 
our  own  will,  the  fewer  our  mistakes  will  be.  Truly 
happy  it  is  when,  in  the  main,  our  path  is  really  a 
path  of  faith  and  single-eyed  devotedness  to  Christ. 

Thus  it  was  with  Moses.  He  was  a  man  of  faith 
— a  man  who  drank  deeply  into  the  spirit  of  his 
Master,  and  walked  with  marvelous  steadiness  in 
His  footprints.  True,  he  anticipated,  as  has  been 
remarked,  by  forty  years,  the  Lord's  time  of  judg- 
ment on  Egypt  and  deliverance  for  Israel ;  ^yet,  when 
we  turn  to  the  inspired  commentary,  in  Hebrews  xi, 
we  find  nothing  about  this ;  we  there  find  only  the 
divine  principle  upon  which,  in  the  main,  his  course 
was  founded.  "By  faith  Moses,  when  he  was  come 


24  EXODUS. 

to  years •,  refused  to  be  called  the  son  of  Pharaoh's 
daughter,  choosing  rather  to  suffer  affliction  with  the 
people  of  God  than  to  enjoy  the  pleasures  of  sin  for 
a  season ;  esteeming  the  reproach  of  Christ  greater 
riches  than  the  treasures  in  Egypt ;  for  he  had  re- 
spect unto  the  recompense  of  the  reward.  By  faith 
he  forsook  Eg}Tpt,  not  fearing  the  wrath  of  the  king ; 
for  he  endured  as  seeing  Him  who  is  invisible." 
(Ver.  24-27.) 

This  quotation  furnishes  a  most  gracious  view  of 
the  actings  of  Moses.  It  is  ever  thus  the  Holy 
Ghost  deals  •  with  the  history  of  Old  Testanient 
saints.  When  He  writes  a  man's  history,  He  pre- 
sents him  to  us  as  he  is,  and  faithfully  sets  forth  all 
his  failures  and  imperfections.  But  when,  in  the 
New  Testament,  He  comments  upon  such  histoiy, 
He  merely  gives  the  real  principle  and  main  result 
of  a  man's  life.  Hence,  though  we  read,  in  Exodus, 
that  "Moses  looked  this  way  and  that  way" — that 
"he  feared  and  said,  '  Surely  this  thing  is  known,'  ' 
and,  finally,  "Moses  fled  from  the  face  of  Pha- 
raoh;" yet  we  are  taught,  in  Hebrews,  that  what 
he  did,  he  did  "by  faith" — that  he  did  not  fear 
"the  wrath  of  the  king" — that  "he  endured  as 
seeing  Him  who  is  invisible." 

Thus  will  it  be,  by  and  by,  "when  the  Lord  comes, 
who  both  will  bring  to  light  the  hidden  things  of 
darkness,  and  will  make  manifest  the  counsels  of  the 
hearts:  and  then  shall  every  man  have  praise  of 
God."  (1  Cor.  iv.  5.)  This  is  a  precious  and  con- 
solatory truth  for  every  upright  mind  and  every 


CHAPTER    II.     11-25.  25 

loyal  heart.  Many  a  "counsel"  the  "heart"  may 
form,  which,  from  various  causes,  the  hand  may  not 
be  able  to  execute.  All  such  "counsels"  will  be 
made  c '  manifest ' '  when  ' '  the  Lord  comes. ' '  Blessed 
be  the  grace  that  has  told  us  so  !  The  affectionate 
counsels  of  the  heart  are  far  more  precious  to  Christ 
than  the  most  elaborate  works  of  the  hand.  The 
latter  may  shine  before  the  eye  of  man ;  the  former 
are  designed  only  for  the  heart  of  Jesus.  The  latter 
may  be  spoken  of  amongst  men  ;  the  former  will  be 
made  manifest  before  God  and  His  holy  angels. 
May  all  the  servants  of  Christ  have  their  hearts  un- 
dividedly  occupied  with  His  person,  and  their  eyes 
steadily  fixed  upon  His  advent. 

In  contemplating  the  path  of  Moses,  we  observe 
how  that  faith  led  him  entirely  athwart  the  ordinary 
course  of  nature.  It  led  him  to  despise  all  the 
pleasures,  the  attractions,  and  the  honors  of  Pha- 
raoh's court.  And  not  only  that,  but  also  to  re- 
linquish an  apparently  wide  sphere  of  usefulness. 
Human  expediency  would  have  conducted  him  along 
quite  an  opposite  path.  It  would  have  led  him  to 
use  his  influence  on  behalf  of  the  people  of  God — 
to  act /or  them  instead  of  suffering  with  them.  Ac- 
cording to  man's  judgment,  providence  would  seem 
to  have  opened  for  Moses  a  wide  and  most  important 
sphere  of  labor  ;  and  surely,  if  ever  the  hand  of  God 
was  manifest  in  placing  a  man  in  a  distinct  position, 
it  was  in  his  case.  By  a  most  marvelous  interposi- 
tion— by  a  most  unaccountable  chain  of  circum- 
stances, every  link  of  which  displayed  the  finger  of 


2G  EXODUS. 

the  Almighty — by  an  order  of  events  which  no  hu- 
man foresight  could  have  arranged,  had  the  daughter 
of  Pharaoh  been  made  the  instrument  of  drawing 
Moses  out  of  the  water,  and  of  nourishing  and  edu- 
cating him  until  he  was  "full  forty  years  old." 
With  all  these  circumstances  in  his  view,  to  abandon 
his  high,  honorable,  and  influential  position,  could 
only  be  regarded  as  the  result  of  a  misguided  zeal 
which  no  sound  judgment  could  approve. 

Thus  might  poor  blind  nature  reason.  But  faith 
thought  differently ;  for  nature  and  faith  are  always 
at  issue.  They  cannot  agree  upon  a  single  point. 
Nor  is  there  anything,  perhaps,  in  reference  to  which 
they  differ  so  widely  as  what  are  commonly  called 
4 '  openings  of  providence. ' '  Nature  will  constantly 
regard  such  openings  as  warrants  for  self-indul- 
gence ;  whereas  faith  will  find  in  them  opportunities 
for  self-denial.  Jonah  might  have  deemed  it  a  very 
remarkable  opening  of  providence  to  find  a  ship  go- 
ing to  Tarshish ;  but,  in  truth,  it  was  an  opening 
through  which  he  slipped  off  the  path  of  obedience. 

No  doubt  it  is  the  Christian's  privilege  to  see  his 
Father's  hand,  and  hear  His  voice,  in  everything; 
but  he  is  not  to  be  guided  by  circumstances.  A 
Christian  so  guided  is  like  a  vessel  at  sea  without 
rudder  or  compass  ;  she  is  at  the  mercy  of  the  waves 
and  the  winds.  God's  promise  to  His  child  is,  "I 
will  guide  thee  with  Mine  eye."  (Ps.  xxxii.  8.)  His 
warning  is,  uBe  not  as  the  horse  or  as  the  mule, 
which  have  no  understanding ;  whose  mouth  must 
be  held  in  with  bit  and  bridle,  lest  they  come  near 


CHAPTER    II.     11-25.  27 

unto  thee."  It  is  much  better  to  be  guided  by  our 
Father's  eye  than  by  the  bit  and  bridle  of  circum- 
stances ;  and  we  know  that,  in  the  ordinary  accepta- 
tion of  the  term,  "providence"  is  only  another 
word  for  the  impulse  of  circumstances. 

Now,  the.  power  of  faith  may  constantly  be  seen 
in  refusing  and  forsaking  the  apparent  openings  of 
providence.  It  was  so  in  the  case  of  Moses.  "By 
faith  he  refused  to  be  called  the  son  of  Pharaoh's 
daughter, ' '  and  ' '  by  faith  he  forsook  Egypt. ' '  Had 
he  judged  according  to  the  sight  of  his  eyes,  he 
would  have  grasped  at  the  proffered  dignity,  as  the 
manifest  gift  of  a,  kind  providence,  and  he  would 
have  remained  in  the  court  of  Pharaoh  as  in  a  sphere 
of  usefulness  plainly  thrown  open  to  him  by  the  hand 
of  God.  But,  then,  he  walked  by  faith,  and  not  by 
the  sight  of  his  eyes ;  and  hence  he  forsook  all. 
Noble  example  !  May  we  have  grace  to  follow  it  ! 

And  observe  what  it  was  that  Moses  "esteemed 
greater  riches  than  the  treasures  in  Egypt ;  "  it  was 
the  "reproach  of  Christ.'*  It  was  not  merely  re- 
proach for  Christ.  ' '  The  reproaches  of  them  that 
reproached  Thee  have  fallen  upon  Me."  The  Lord 
Jesus,  in  perfect  grace,  identified  Himself  with  His 
people.  He  came  down  from  heaven,  leaving  His 
Father's  bosom,  and  laying  aside  all  His  glory,  He 
took  His  people's  place,  confessed  their  sins,  and 
bore  their  judgment  on  the  cursed  tree.  Such  was 
His  voluntary  devotedness  ;  He  not  merely  acted  for 
us,  but  made  Himself  one  with  us,  thus  perfectly  de- 
livering us  from  all  that  was  or  could  be  against  us. 


28  EXODUS. 

Hence  we  see  how  much  in  sympathy  Moses  was 
with  the  spirit  and  mind  of  Christ  in  reference  to 
the  people  of  God.  He  was  in  the  midst  of  all  the 
ease,  the  pomp,  and  dignity  of  Pharaoh's  house, 
where  "the  pleasures  of  sin,"  and  "the  treasures  of 
Egypt,"  lay  scattered  around  him  in  richest  pro- 
fusion. All  these  things  he  might  have  enjoyed  if 
he  would.  He  could  have  lived  and  died  in  the 
midst  of  wealth  and  splendor ;  his  entire  path,  from 
first  to  last,  might,  if  he  had  chosen,  have  been  en- 
lightened by  the  sunshine  of  royal  favor:  but  that 
would  not  have  been  "faith;"  it  would  not  have 
been  Christlike.  From  his  elevated  position,  he  saw 
his  brethren  bowed  down  beneath  their  heavy  burden, 
and  faith  led  him  to  see  that  his  place  was  to  be  with 
them.  Yes  ;  with  them,  in  all  their  reproach,  their 
bondage,  their  degradation,  and  their  sorrow.  Had 
he  been  actuated  by  mere  benevolence,  philanthropy, 
or  patriotism,  he  might  have  used  his  personal  influ- 
ence on  behalf  of  his  brethren.  He  might  have 
succeeded  in  inducing  Pharaoh  to  lighten  their  .bur- 
den, and  render  their  path  somewhat  smoother,  by 
royal  grants  in  their  favor  ;  but  this  would  never  do, 
never  satisfy  a  heart  that  had  a  single  pulsation  in 
common  with  the  heart  of  Christ.  Such  a  heart 
Moses,  by  the  grace  of  God,  carried  in  his  bosom ; 
and,  therefore,  with  all  the  energies  and  all  the  affec- 
tions of  that  heart,  he  threw  himself,  body,  soul,  and 
spirit,  into  the  very  midst  of  his  oppressed  brethren. 
He  "  chose  rather  to  suffer  affliction  with  the  people 
of  God."  And,  moreover,  he  did  this  by  "faith." 


CHAPTER    II.     11-25.  29 

Let  my  reader  ponder  this  deeply.  We  must  not 
be  satisfied  with  wishing  well  to,  doing  service  for, 
or  speaking  kindly  on  behalf  of,  the  people  of  God. 
We  ought  to  be  fully  identified  loith  them,  no  matter 
how  despised  or  reproached  they  may  be.  It  is,  in 
a  measure,  an  agreeable  thing  to  be  a  benevolent 
and  generous  spirit,  to  patronize  Christianity ;  but 
it  is  a  wholly  different  thing  to  be  identified  with 
Christians,  or  to  suffer  with  Christ.  A  patron  is  one 
thing,  a  martyr  is  quite  another.  This  distinction 
is  apparent  throughout  the  entire  book  of  God. 
Obadiah  took  care  of  God's  witnesses,  but  Elijah 
was  a  witness  for  God.  Darius  was  so  attached  to 
Daniel  that  he  lost  a  night's  rest  on  his  account,  but 
Daniel  spent  that  self-same  night  in  the  lion's  den, 
as  a  witness  for  the  truth  of  God.  Nicodemus  ven- 
tured to  speak  a  word  for  Christ,  but  a  more  ma- 
tured discipleship  would  have  led  him  to  identify 
himself  with  Christ. 

These  considerations  are  eminently  practical.  The 
Lord  Jesus  does  not  want  patronage  ;  He  wants  fel- 
lowship. The  truth  concerning  Him  is  declared  to 
us,  not  that  we  might  patronize  His  cause  on  earth, 
but  have  fellowship  with  His  Person  in  heaven.  He 
identified  Himself  with  us,  at  the  heavy  cost  of  all 
that  love  could  give.  He  might  have  avoided  this. 
He  might  have  continued  to  enjoy  His  eternal  place 
"in  the  bosom  of  the  Father."  But  how,  then, 
could  that  mighty  tide  of  love,  which  was  pent  up 
in  His  heart,  flow  down  to  us  guilty  and  hell-deserv- 
ing sinners  ?  Between  Him  and  us  there  could  be 


30  EXODUS. 

no  oneness,  save  on  conditions  which  involved  the 
surrender  of  everything  on  His  part.  But,  blessed, 
throughout  the  everlasting  ages,  be  His  adorable 
name,  that  surrender  was  voluntarily  made.  "  He 
gave  Himself  for  us,  that  He  might  redeem  us  from 
all  iniquity,  and  purify  unto  Himself  a  peculiar  peo- 
ple, zealous  of  good  works."  (Titus  ii.  14.)  He 
would  not  enjoy  His  glory  alone.  His  loving  heart 
would  gratify  itself  by  associating  "many  sons  "  with 
Him  in  that  glory.  "Father,"  He  says,  " I  will  that 
they  also,  whom  Thou  hast  given  Me,  be  with  Me 
where  I  am  ;  that  they  may  behold  My  glory,  which 
Thou  hast  given  Me:  for  Thou  lovedst  Me  before 
the  foundation  of  the  world."  (John  xvii.  24.)  Such 
were  the  thoughts  of  Christ  in  reference  to  His  peo- 
ple ;  and  we  can  easily  see  how  much  in  sympathy 
with  these  precious  thoughts  was  the  heart  of  Moses. 
He  unquestionably  partook  largely  of  his  Master's 
spirit ;  and  he  manifested  that  excellent  spirit  in 
freely  sacrificing  every  personal  consideration,  and 
associating  himself,  unreservedly,  with  the  people 
of  God. 

The  personal  character  and  actings  of  this  hon- 
ored servant  of  God  will  come  before  us  again  in 
the  next  section  of  our  book.  We  shall  here  briefly 
consider  him  as  a  type  of  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ. 
That  he  was  a  type  of  Him  is  evident  from  the  fol- 
lowing passage, — "The  Lord  thy  God  will  raise  up 
unto  thee  a  Prophet  from  the  midst  of  thee,  of  thy 
brethren,  like  unto  me  ;  unto  Him  ye  shall  hearken." 
(Deut.  xviii.  15.)  We  are  not,  therefore,  trafficking 


CHAPTER    II.     11-25.  .  31 

in  human  imagination  in  viewing  Moses  as  a  type ; 
it  is  the  plain  teaching  of  Scripture,  and  in  the  clos- 
ing verses  of  Exodus  ii.  we  see  this  type  in  a  double 
way :  first,  in  the  matter  of  his  rejection  by  Israel ; 
and  secondly,  in  his  union  with  a  stranger  in  the 
land  of  Midian. 

These  points 'have  already  been,  in  some  measure, 
developed  in  the  history  of  Joseph,  \vho,  being  cast 
out  by  his  brethren  according  to  the  flesh,  forms  an 
alliance  with  an  Egyptian  bride.  Here,  as  in  the 
case  of  Moses,  we  see  shadowed  forth  Christ's  re- 
jection by  Israel,  and  His  union  with  the  Church, 
but  in  a  different  phase.  In  Joseph's  case,  we  have 
the  exhibition  of  positive  enmity  against  his  person : 
in  Moses,  it  is  the  rejection  of  his  mission.  In 
Joseph's  case,  we  read,  "They  hated  him,  and  could 
not  speak  peaceably  unto  him."  (Gen.  xxxvii.  4.) 
In  the  case  of  Moses,  the  word  is, — "Who  made 
tliee  a  prince  and  a  judge  over  us  ? ' '  In  short,  the 
former  was  personally  hated ;  the  latter,  officially 
refused. 

So  also  in  the  mode  in  which  the  great  mystery  of 
tho  Church  is  exemplified  in  the  history  of  those 
two  Old  Testament  saints.  "Asenath"  presents 
quite  a  different  phase  of  the  Church  "from  that  which 
we  have  in  the  person  of  "Zipporah."  The  former 
was  united  to  Joseph  in  the  time  of  his  exaltation ; 
the  latter  was  the  companion  of  Moses  in  the  obscu- 
rity of  his  desert  life.  (Comp.  Gen.  xli.  41-45  with 
Exod.  ii.  15;  iii.  1.)  True,  both  Joseph  and  Moses 
were,  at  the  time  of  their  union  with  a  stranger,  re- 


32  EXODUS. 

jected  by  their  brethren  ;  yet  the  former  was  "gov- 
ernor over  all  the  land  of  Egypt ;  "  whereas  the  latter 
tended  a  few  sheep  at  "the  backside  of  the  desert." 

Whether,  therefore,  we  contemplate  Christ  as 
manifested  in  gloiy,  or  as  hidden  from  the  world's 
gaze,  the  Church  is  intimately  associated  with  Him. 
And  now,  inasmuch  as  the  world  Seeth  Him  not, 
neither  can  it  take  knowledge  of  that  body  which  is* 
wholly  one  with  Him.  "The  world  knoweth  us  not, 
because  it  knew  Him  not."  (1  John  iii.  1.)  By  and 
by,  Christ  will  appear  in  His  glory,  and  the  Church 
witli  Him.  "When  Christ  our  life  shall  appear,  then 
shall  ye  also  appear  witli  Him  in  glory."  (Col iii.  4.) 
And  again,  "The  glory  which  Thou  gavest  Me  I 
have  given  them  ;  that  they  may  be  one,  even  as  We 
are  one :  I  in  them,  and  Thou  in  Me,  that  they  may 
be  made  perfect  in  one ;  and  that  the  world  may 
know  that  Thou  hast  sent  Me,  and  hast  loved  them 
as  Thou  hast  loved  Me."  (John  xvii.  22,  23.)* 

Such,  then,  is  the  Church's  high  and  holy  position. 
She  is  one  with  Him  who  is  cast  out  by  this  world, 
but  who  occupies  the  throne  of  the  Majesty  in  the 
heavens.  The  Lord  Jesus  made  Himself  responsible 
for  her  on  the  cross,  in  order  that  she  might  share 
with  Him  His  present  rejection  and  His  future  glory. 
Would  that  all  who  form  a  part  of  such  a  highly 


*  There  are  two  distinct  unities  spoken  of  in  John  xvii.  21,  23. 
The  lirst  is  that  unity  which  the  Church  is  responsible  to  have 
maintained,  but  in  Avhich  she  has  utterly  failed.  The  second  is  that 
unity  which  God  will  infallibly  accomplish,  and  which  He  will 
manifest  in  glory.  If  the  reader  will  turn  to  the  passage,  he  will  at 
once  see  the  difference,  both  as  to  character  and  result,  of  the  two. 


CHAPTER    III.  33 

privileged  body  were  more  impressed  with  a  sense 
of  what  becomes  them  as  to  course  and  character 
down  here  !  Assuredly,  there  should  be  a  fuller  and 
clearer  response,  on  the  part  of  all  the  children  of 
God,  to  that  love  wherewith  He  has  loved -them,  to 
that  salvation  wherewith  He  lias  saved  them,  and  to 
that  dignity  wherewith  He  has  invested  them.  The 
walk  of  the  Christian  should  ever  be  the  natural 
result  of  realized  privilege,  and  not  the  constrained 
result  of  legal  vows  and  resolutions, — the  proper 
fruit  of  a  position  known  and  enjoyed  by  faith,  and 
not  the  fruit  of  one's  own  efforts  to  reach  a  position 
"by  works  of  law."  All  true  believers  are  a  part 
of  the  bride  of  Christ ;  hence,  they  owe  Him  those 
affections  which  become  that  relation.  The  relation- 
ship is  not  obtained  because  of  the  affections,  but 
the  affections  flow  out  of  the  relationship. 

So  let  it  be,  O  Lord,  with  all  Thy  beloved  and 
blood-bought  people  1 


CHAPTEK  III. 

WE  shall  now  resume  the  personal  history  of 
Moses,  and  contemplate  him  during  that 
deeply  interesting  period  of  his  career  which  he 
spent  in  retirement— a  period  including,  as  we 
should  say,  forty  of  his  very  best  years — the  prime 
of  life.  This  is  full  of  meaning.  The  Lord  had 
graciously,  wisely,  and  faithfully  led  His  dear  serv- 
ant apart  from  the  eyes  and  thoughts  of  men,  in 


34  EXODUS. 

order  that  He  might  train  him  under  His  own  imme- 
ate  hand.  Moses  needed  this.  True,  he  had  spent 
forty  years  in  the  house  of  Pharaoh  ;  and,  while  his 
sojourn  there  was  not  without  its  influence  and  value, 
yet  was  it  as  nothing  when  compared  with  his  so- 
journ in  the  desert.  The  former  might  be  valuable  ; 
but  the  latter  was  indispensable. 

Nothing  can  possibly  make  up  for  the  lack  of 
secret  communion  with  God,  or  the  training  and 
discipline  of  His  school.  "All  the  wisdom  of  the 
Egyptians ' '  would  not  have  qualified  Moses  for  his 
future  path.  He  might  have  pursued  a  most  bril- 
liant course  through  the  schools  and  colleges  of 
Egypt.  He  might  have  come  forth  laden  with  lit- 
erary honors — his  intellect  stored  with  learning,  and 
his  heart  full  of  pride  and  self-sufficiency.  He  might 
have  taken  out  his  degree  in  the  school  of  man,  arid 
yet  have  to  learn  his  alphabet  in  the  school  of  God. 
Mere  human  wisdom  and  learning,  how  valuable  so- 
ever in  themselves,  can  never  constitute  any  one  a 
servant  of  God,  nor  equip  him  for  any  department 
of  divine  service.  Such  things  may  qualify  unre- 
newed  nature  to  figure  before  the  world ;  but  the 
man  whom  God  will  use  must  be  endowed  with 
widely-different  qualifications — such  qualifications  as 
can  alone  be  found  in  the  deep  and  hallowed  retire- 
ment of  the  Lord's  presence. 

All  God's  servants  have  been  made  to  know  and 
experience  the  truth  of  these  statements.  Moses  at 
Horeb,  Elijah  at  Cherith,  Ezekiel  at  Chebar,  Paul  in 
Arabia,  and  John  at  Patmos,  are  all  striking  exam- 


CHAPTER    III.  35 

pies  of  the  immense  practical  importance  of  being 
alone  with  God.  And  when  we  look  at  the  Divine 
Servant,  we  find  that  the  time  Pie  spent  in  private 
was  nearly  ten  times  as  long  as  that  which  He  spent 
in  public.  He,  though  perfect  in  understanding  and1, 
in  will,  spent  nearly  thirty  years  in  the  obscurity  of 
a  carpenter's  house  at  Nazareth  ere  He  made  His 
appearance  in  public.  And  even  when  He  had  en- 
tered upon  His  public  career,  how  oft  did  He  retreat 
from  the  gaze  of  men,  to  enjoy  the  sweet  and  sacred 
retirement  of  the  divine  presence  ! 

Now  we  may  feel  disposed  to  ask,  How  could  the 
urgent  demand  for  workmen  ever  be  met  if  all  need 
such  protracted  training,  in  secret,  ere  they  come 
forth  to  their  work  ?  This  is  the  Master's  care — not 
ours.  He  can  provide  the  workmen,  and  He  can 
train  them  also.  This  is  not  man's  work.  God 
alone  can  provide  and  prepare  a  true  minister.  Nor 
is  it  a  question  with  Him  as  ,to  the  length  of  time 
needful  for  the  education  of  such  an  one.  We  know 
He  could  educate  him  in  a  moment,  if  it  were  His 
will  to  do  so.  One  thing  is  evident,  namely,  that 
God  has  had  all  His  servants  very  much  alone  with 
Himself,  both  before  and  after  their  entrance  upon 
their  public  work  ;  nor  will  any  one  ever  get  on  with- 
out this.  The  absence  of  secret  training  and 'dis- 
cipline will  necessarily  leave  us  barren,  superficial, 
and  theoretic.  A  man  who  ventures  forth  upon  a 
public  career  ere  he  has  duly  weighed  himself  in  the 
balances  of  the  sanctuary,  or  measured  himself  in 
the  presence  of  God,  is  like  a  ship  putting  out  to 


36  EXODUS. 

sea  without  proper  ballast :  lie  will  doubtless  overset 
with  the  first  stiff  breeze.  On  the  contrary,  there  is 
a  depth,  a  solidity,  and  a  steadiness  flowing  from 
our  having  passed  from  form  to  form  in  the  school 
of  God,  which  are  essential  elements  in  the  forma- 
tion of  the  character  of  a  true  and  effective  servant 
of  God. 

Hence,  therefore,  when  we  find  Moses,  at  the  age 
of  forty  years,  taken  apart  from  all  the  dignity  and 
splendor  of  a  court,  for  the  purpose  of  spending 
forty  years  in  the  obscurity  of  a  desert,  we  are  led 
to  expect  a  remarkable  course  of  service ;  nor  are 
we  disappointed.  The  man  whom  God  educates  is 
educated,  and  none  other.  It  lies  not  within  the 
range  of  man  to  prepare  an  instrument  for  the  serv- 
ice of  God.  The  hand  of  man  could  never  mould 
"a  vessel  meet  for  the  Master's  use."  The  One 
wiio  is  to  use  the  vessel  can  alone  prepare  it ;  and 
we  have  before  us  a  singularly  beautiful  sample  of 
His  mode  of  preparation. 

"Now,  Moses  kept  the  flock  of  Jethro,  his  father- 
in-law,  the  priest  of  Midian  ;  and  he  led  the  flock  to 
the  backside  of  the  desert,  and  came  to  the  mount- 
ain of  God,  even  to  Horeb."  (Exod.  iii.  1.)  Here, 
then,  we  have  a  marvelous  change  of  circumstances. 
In  Genesis,  chapter  xlvi.  31,  we  read,  "Every  shep- 
herd is  an  abomination  to  the  Egyptians  ;  "  and  yet 
'Moses,  who  was  "learned  in  all  the  wisdom  of  the 
Egyptians,"  is  transferred  from  the  Egyptian  court 
to  the  back  of  a  mountain  to  tend  a  flock  of  sheep, 
and  to  be  educated  for  the  service  of  God.  Assur- 


CHAPTER    III.  37 

edly,  this  is  not  "the  manner  of  man/'  This  is  not 
nature's  line  of  things.  Flesh  and  blood  could  not 
understand  this.  We  should  have  thought  that 
Moses'  education  was  finished  when  he  had  become 
master  of  all  Egypt's  wisdom,  and  that,  moreover, 
in  immediate  connection  with  the  rare  advantages 
which  a  court  life  affords.  We  should  have  expected 
to  find  in  one  so  highly  favored,  not  only  a  solid  and 
varied  education,  but  also  such  an  exquisite  polish 
as  would  fit  him  for  any  sphere  of  action  to  which 
he  might  be  called.  But  then,  to  find  such  a  man 
with  such  attainments,  called  away  from  such  a 
position  to  mind  sheep  at  the  back  of  a  mountain, 
is  something  entirely  be}^ond  the  utmost  stretch  of 
human  thought  and  feeling.  It  lays  prostrate  in  the 
dust  all  man's  pride  and  glory.  It  declares  plainly 
that  this  world's  appliances  are  of  little  value  in  the 
divine  estimation;  yea,  they  are  as  "dung  and 
dross,"  not  only  in  the  eyes  of  the  Lord,  but  also 
in  the  eyes  of  all  those  who  have  been  taught  in  His 
school. 

There  is  a  very  wide  difference  between  human 
and  divine  education.  The  former  has  for  its  end 
the  refinement  and  exaltation  of  nature ;  the  latter 
begins  with  withering  it  up  and  setting  it  aside. 
uThe  natural  man  receiveth  not  the  things  of  the 
Spirit  of  God ;  for  they  are  foolishness  unto  him ; 
neither  can  he  know  them,  because  they  are  spiritu- 
ally discerned."  (1  Cor.  ii.  14.)  Educate  the  "nat- 
ural man"  as  much  as  you  please,  and  you  cannot 
make  him  a  "spiritual  man."  "That  which  is  born 


38  EXODUS. 

of  the  flesh  is  flesh ;  and  that  which  is  born  of  the 
Spirit  is  spirit."  (John  iii.  G.)  If  ever  an  educated 
"natural  man"  might  look  for  success  in  the  service 
of  God,  Moses  might  have  counted  upon  it ;  he  was 
4 'grown,"  he  was  u learned,"  he  was  "mighty  in 
word  and  deed,"  and  yet  he  had  to  learn  something 
at  "the  backside  of  the  desert"  which  Egypt's 
schools  could  never  have  taught  him.  Paul  learnt 
more  in  Arabia  than  ever  he  had  learnt  at  the  feet 
of  Gamaliel.*  None  can  teach  like  God;  and  all 
who  will  learn  of  Him  must  be  alone  with  Him. 

"In  the  desert  God  will  teach  thee." 
There  it  was  that  Moses  learnt  his  sweetest,  deepest, 
most  influential  and  enduring  lessons.    Thither,  too, 
must  all  repair  who  mean  to  be  educated  for  the 
ministry. 

Beloved  reader,  may  you  prove,  in  your  own  deep 
experience,  the  real  meaning  of  "the  backside  of  the 
desert" — that  sacred  spot  where  nature  is  laid  in  the 
dust,  and  God  alone  exalted.  There  it  is  that  men 

*Let  not  my  reader  suppose  for  a  moment  that  the  design  of  the 
above  remarks  is  to  detract  from  the  value  of  really  useful  informa- 
tion, or  the  proper  culture  of  the  mental  powers.  By  no  means. 
If,  for  example,  he  is  a  parent,  let  him  store  his  child's  mind  with 
useful  knowledge;  let  him  teach  him  everything  which  may,  here- 
after, turn,  to  account  in  the  Master's  service:  let  him  not  burden 
him  with  aught  which  he  would  have  to  "lay  aside"  in  running 
his  Christian  course,  nor  conduct  him,  for  educational  purposes, 
through  a  region  from  which  it  is  well-nigh  impossible  to  come 
forth  with  an  unsoiled  mind.  You  might  just  as  well  shut  him  up 
for  ten  years  in  a  coal  mine  in  order  to  qualify  him  for  discussing 
the  properties  of  light  and  shade,  as  cause  him  to  wade  through 
the  mire  of  a  heathen  mythology  in  order  to  fit  him  for  the  inter- 
pretation of  the  oracles  of  God,  or  prepare  him  for  feeding  the 
flock  of  Christ. 


CHAPTER    III.  39 

and  things,  the  world  and  self,  present  circum- 
stances and  their  influences,  are  all  valued  at  what 
they  are  really  worth.  There  it  is,  and  there  alone, 
that  you  will  find  a  divinely- adjusted  balance  in 
which  to  weigh  all  within  and  all  around.  There  are 
no  false  colors,  no  borrowed  plumes,  no  empty  pre- 
tentions  there.  The  enemy  of  your  soul  cannot  gild 
the  sand  of  that  place.  All  is  reality  there.  The 
heart  that  has  found  itself  in  the  presence  of  God, 
at  ' '  the  backside  of  the  desert, ' '  has  right  thoughts 
about  everything.  It  is  raised  far  above  the  excit- 
ing influence  of  this  world's  schemes.  The  din  and 
noise,  the  bustle  and  confusion  of  Egypt  do  not  fall 
upon  the  ear  in  that  distant  place.  The  crash  in  the 
monetary  and  commercial  world  is  not  heard  there  ; 
the  sigh  of  ambition  is  riot  heaved  there  ;  this  world's 
fading  laurels  do  not  tempt  there  ;  the  thirst  for  gold 
is  not  felt  there  ;  the  eye  is  never  dimmed  with  lust, 
nor  the  heart  swollen  with  pride  there  ;  human  ap- 
plause does  not  elate,  nor  human  censure  depress 
there.  In  a  word,  everything  is  set  aside  save  the 
stillness  and  light  of  the  divine  presence.  God's 
voice  alone  is  heard,  His  light  enjoyed,  His  thoughts 
received.  This  is  the  place  to  which  all  must  go  to 
be  educated  for  the  ministry ;  and  there  all  must 
remain  if  they  would  succeed  in  the  ministry. 

Would  that  all  who  come  forward  to  serve  in 
public  knew  more  of  what  it  is  to  breathe  the  atmos- 
phere of  this  place.  We  should  then  have  far  less 
vapid  attempts  at  ministry,  but  far  more  effective 
Christ-honoring  service. 


40  EXODUS. 

Let  us  now  inquire  what  Moses  saw  and  what  he 
heard  at  "the  backside  of  the  desert/7  We  shall 
find  him  learning  lessons  which  lay  far  bej'ond  the 
reach  of  Egypt's  most  gifted  masters.  It  might 
appear,  in  the  eyes  of  human  reason,  a  strange  loss 
of  time  for  a  man  like  Moses  to  spend  forty  }^ears 
doing  nothing  save  to  keep  a  few  sheep  in  the  wil- 
derness. But  he  was  there  with  God,  and  the  time 
that  is  thus  spent  is  never  lost.  It  is  salutaiy  for 
us  to  remember  that  there  is  something  more  than 
mere  doing  necessary  on  the  part  of  a  true  servant. 
A  man  who  is  always  doing  will  be  apt  to  do  too 
much.  Such  an  one  would  need  to  ponder  over  the 
deeply-practical  words  of  the  perfect  Servant,  "He 
wakeneth  morning  by  morning,  He  wakeneth  Mine 
ear  to  hear  as  the  learned."  (Is.  1.  4.)  This  is  an 
indispensable  part  of  the  servant's  business.  The 
servant  must  frequently  stand  in  his  master's  pres- 
ence, in  order  that  he  may  know  what  he  has  to  do. 
The  "ear"  and  the  "tongue"  are  intimately  con- 
nected, in  more  ways  than  one ;  but,  in  a  spiritual 
or  moral  point  of  view,  if  my  ear  be  closed  and  my 
tongue  loose,  I  shall  be  sure  to  talk  a  great  deal  of 
folly.  "Wherefore,  my  beloved  brethren,  let  every 
man  be  swift  to  hear,  slow  to  speak.'1  (James  i.  19.) 
This  seasonable  admonition  is  based  upon  two  fads, 
namely,  that  everything  good  comes  from  above, 
and  that  the  heart  is  brimful  of  naughtiness,  ready 
to  flow  over.  Hence  the  need  of  keeping  the  ear 
open  and  the  tongue  quiet, — rare  and  admirable 
attainments  ! — attainments  in  which  Moses  made 


CHAPTER    III.  41 

great  proficiency  at  "the  backside  of  the  desert," 
and  which  all  can  acquire  if  only  they  are  disposed 
to  learn  in  that  school. 

44  And  the  angel  of  the  Lord  appeared  unto  him 
in  a  flame  of  fire,  out  of  the  midst  of  a  bush :  and 
he  looked,  and  behold  the  bush  burned  with  fire,  and 
the  bush  was  not  consumed.  And  Moses  said,  'I 
will  now  turn  aside,  and  see  this  great  sight,  why 
the  bush  is  not  burnt/  "  (Chap.  iii.  2,  3.)  This  was 
truly  "a  great  sight" — a  bush  burning,  }Tet  not 
burnt.  The  palace  of  Pharaoh  could  never  have 
afforded  such  a  sight.  But  it  was  a  gracious  sight 
as  well  as  a  great  sight,  for  therein  was  strikingly 
exhibited  the  condition  of  God's  elect.  They  were 
in  the  furnace  of  Egypt ;  and  Jehovah  reveals  Him- 
self in  a  burning  bush.  But  as  the  bush  was  not 
consumed,  so  neither  were  they^  for  God  was  there. 
"The  Lord  of  hosts  is  with  us,  the  God  cf  Jacob  is 
our  refuge."  (Psalrn  xlvi.)  Here  is  strength  and 
security — victory  and  peace.  God  with  us,  God  in 
ns,  and  God  for  us.  This  is  ample  provision  for 
every  exigence. 

Nothing  can  be  more  interesting  or  instructive 
than  the  mode  in  which  Jehovah  was  pleased  to  re- 
veal Himself  to  Moses,  as  presented  in  the  above 
quotation.  He  was  about  to  furnish  him  with  his 
commission  to  lead  forth  His  people  out  of  Egypt, 
that  they  might  be  His  assembly — His  dwelling- 
place,  in  the  wilderness  and  in  the  land  of  Canaan  ; 
and  the  place  from  which  He  speaks  is  a  burning 
bush.  Apt,  solemn,  and  beautiful  symbol  of  Jeho- 


42  EXODUS. 

vah  dwelling  in  the  midst  of  His  elect  and  redeemed 
congregation!  "Our  God  is  a  consuming  fire," 
not  to  consume  us,  but  to  consume  all  in  us  and 
about  us  whicb  is  contrary  to  His  holiness,  and,  as 
such,  subversive  of  our  true  and  permanent  happi- 
ness. "Thy  testimonies  are  very  sure;  holiness 
becometh  Thy  house,  O  Lord,  forever." 

There  are  various  instances,  both  in  the  Old  and 
New  Testaments,  in  which  we  find  God  displaying 
Himself  as  "a  consuming  fire."  Look,  for  exam- 
ple, at  the  case  of  Nadab  and  Abihu,  in  Leviticus  x. 
This  was  a  deeply  solemn  occasion.  God  was  dwell- 
ing in  the  midst  of  His  people,  and  He  would  keep 
them  in  a  condition  worthy  of  Himself.  He  could 
not  do  otherwise.-  It  would  neither  be  for  His  glory 
nor  for  their  profit  were  He  to  tolerate  aught  in  them 
inconsistent  with  the  purity  of  His  presence.  God's 
dwelling-place  must  be  holy. 

So,  also,  in  Joshua  vii.  we  have  another  striking 
proof,  in  the  case  of  Achan,  that  Jehovah  could  not 
possibly  sanction,  by  His  presence,  evil,  in  any 
shape  or  form,  how  covert  soever  that  evil  might  be. 
He  was  "a  consuming  fire,"  and  as  such  He  should 
act,  in  reference  to  any  attempt  to  defile  that  assem- 
bly in  the  midst  of  which  He  dwelt.  To  seek  to 
connect  God's  presence  with  evil  unjudged  is  the 
very  highest  character  of  wickedness. 

Again,  in  Acts  v,  Ananias  and  Sapphira  teach  us 
the  same  solemn  lesson.  God  the  Holy  Ghost  was 
dwelling  in  the  midst  of  the  Church,  not  merely  as 
an  influence,  but  as  a  divine  Person,  in  such  a  way 


CHAPTER    III.  43 

as  that  one  could  lie  to  Him.  The  Church  was,  and 
is  still,  His  dwelling-place ;  and  He  must  rule  and 
judge  in  the  midst  thereof.  Men  may  walk  in  com- 
pany with  deceit,  covetousness,  and  hypocrisy ;  but 
God  cannot.  If  God  is  going  to  walk  with  us,  we 
must  judge  our  waj^s,  or  He  will  judge  them  for  us. 
(See  also  1  Cor.  xi.  29-32.) 

In  all  these  cases,  and  many  more  which  might  be 
adduced,  we  see  the  force  of  that  solemn  word, 
''Holiness  becometh  Thy  house,  O  Lord,  forever." 
The  moral  eifect  of  this  will  ever  be  similar  to  that 
produced  in  the  case  of  Moses,  as  recorded  in  our 
chapter.  "Draw  not  nigh  hither:  put  off  thy  shoes 
from  off  thy  feet,  for  the  place  whereon  thou  standest 
is  holy  ground."  (Verse  5.)  The  place  of  God's 
presence  is  holy,  and  can  only  be  trodden  with  un- 
shod feet.  God,  dwelling  in  the  midst  of  His  people, 
imparts  a  character  of  holiness  to  their  assembly, 
which  is  the  basis  of  every  holy  affection  and  every 
holy  activity.  The  character  of  the  dwelling-place 
takes  its  stamp  from  the  character  of  the  Occupant. 

The  application  of  this  to  the  Church,  which  is 
now  the  habitation  of  God,  through  the  Spirit,  is  of 
the  very  utmost  practical  importance.  While  it  is 
blessedly  true  that  God,  by  His  Spirit,  inhabits  each 
individual  member  of  the  Church,  thereby  impart- 
ing a  character  of  holiness  to  the  individual ;  it  is 
equally  true  that  He  dwells  in  the  assembly,  and 
hence  the  assembly  must  be  holy.  The  centre  round 
which  the  members  are  gathered  is  nothing  less  than 
the  Person  of  a  living,  victorious,  and  glorified 


44  EXODUS. 

Christ,  The  energy  by  which  they  are  gathered  is 
nothing  less  than  God  the  Holy  Ghost;  and  the 
Lord  God  Almighty  dwells  in  them  and  walks  in 
them.  (See  Matt,  xviii.  20;  1  Cor.  vi.  19;  iii.  16, 
17  ;  Eph.  ii.  21,  22.)  Such  being  the  holy  elevation 
belonging  to  God's  dwelling-place,  it  is  evident  that 
nothing  which  is  unholy,  either  in  principle  or  prac- 
tice, must  be  tolerated.  Each  one  connected  there- 
with should  feel  the  weight  and  solemnity  of  that 
word,  "The  place  whereon  thou  standest  is  holy 
ground."  •  "If  any  man  defile  the  temple  of  God, 
him  shall  God  destroy."  (1  Cor.  iii.  17.)  Most 
weighty  words  these,  for  every  member  of  God's 
assembly — for  every  stone  in  His  holy  temple  !  May 
we  all  learn  to  tread  Jehovah's  courts  with  unshod 
feet! 

However,  the  visions  of  Hor.eb  bear  witness  to  the 
grace  of  the  God  of  Israel  as  well  as  to  His  holiness. 
If  God's  holiness  is  infinite,  His  grace  is  infinite 
also;  and  while  the  manner  in  which  He -revealed 
Himself  to  Moses  declared  the  former,  the  very  fact 
of  His  revealing  Himself  at  all  evidenced  the  latter. 
He  came  down  because  He  was  gracious  ;  but  when 
come  down,  He  should  reveal .  Himself  as  holy. 
"Moreover  he  said,  CI  am  the  God  of  thy  father, 
the  God  of  Abraham,  the  God  of  Isaac,  and  the 
God  of  Jacob.'  And  Moses  hid  his  face;  for  he 
was  afraid  to  look  upon  God."  (Verse  6.)  The 
effect  of  the  divine  presence  must  ever  be  to  make 
nature  hide  itself;  and  when  we  stand  before  God 
with  unshod  feet  and  covered  head — i.e.. -in  the  atti- 


CHAPTER    III.  45 

tude  of  soul  which  those  acts  so  aptly  and  beauti- 
fully express,  we  are  prepared  to  hearken  to  the 
sweet  accents  of  grace.  When  man  takes  his  suited 
place,  God  can  speak  in  the  language  of  unmingled 
mercy. 

"And  the  Lord  said,  CI  have  surely  seen  the 
affliction  of  My  people  which  are  in  Egypt,  and  have 
heard  the,ir  cry  "by  reason  of  their  taskmasters ;  for 
I  know  their  sorrows  ;  and  I  am  come  down  to  de- 
liver them  out  of  the  hand  of  the  Eg}Tptians,  and  to 
bring  them  np  out  of  that  land  unto  a  good  land  and 
a  large,  unto  a  land  flowing  with  milk  and  honey.  . 

Now,  therefore,  behold,  the  cry  of  the 

children  of  Israel  is  come  unto  Me  ;  and  I  have  also 
seen  the  oppression  wherewith  the  Egyptians  oppress 
them.'  "  (Ver.  7-9.)  Here  the  absolute,  free,  un- 
conditional grace  of  the  God  of  Abraham,  and  the 
God  of  Abraham's  seed,  shines  forth  in  all  its  native 
brightness,  unhindered  1^  the  uifs"  and  ubuts," 
the  vows,  resolutions,  and  conditions  of  man's  legal 
spirit.  God  had  come  down  to  display  Himself,  in 
sovereign  grace,  to  do  the  whole  work  of  salvation, 
to  accomplish  His  promise  made  to  Abraham,  and 
repeated  to  Isaac  and  Jacob.  He  had  not  come 
down  to  see  if,  indeed,  the  subjects  of  His,  promise 
were  in  such  a  condition  as  to  merit  His  salvation : 
it  was  sufficient  for  Him  that  they  needed  it.  Their 
oppressed  state,  their  sorrows,  their  tears,  their 
sighs,  their  heavy  bondage,  had  all  come  in  review 
before  Him ;  for,  blessed  be  His  name,  He  counts 
His  people's  sighs,  and  puts  their  tears  into  His 


4G  EXODUS. 

bottle.  He  was  not  attracted  by  their  excellencies 
or  their  virtues.  It  was  not  on  the  ground  of  aught 
that  was  good  in  them,  either  seen  or  foreseen,  that 
He  was  about  to  visit  them,  for  He  knew  what  was 
in  them.  In  one  word,  we  have  the  true  ground  of 
His  gracious  acting  set  before  us  in  the  words,  UI 
am  the  God  of  Abraham,"  and  "I  have  seen  the 
affliction  of  My  people." 

These  words  reveal  a  great  fundamental  principle 
in  the  ways  of  God.  It  is  on  the  ground  of  what 
He  is  that  He  ever  acts.  "I  AM,"  secures  all  for 
"MY  PEOPLE."  Assuredly,  He  was  not  going  -to 
leave  His  people  amid  the  brick-kilns  of  Egj^pt,  and 
under  the  lash  of  Pharaoh's  taskmasters.  They 
were  His  people,  and  He  would  act  toward  them  in 
a  manner  worthy  of  Himself.  To  be  His  people, — 
to  be  the  favored  objects  of  Jehovah's  electing  love 
—the  subjects  of  IJis  unconditional  promise,  settled 
everything.  Nothing  should  hinder  the  public  dis- 
play of  His  relationship  with  those  for  whom  His 
eternal  purpose  had  secured  the  land  of  Canaan. 
He  had  come  down  to  deliver  them ;  and  the  com- 
bined power  of  earth  and  hell  could  not  hold  them 
in  captivity  one  hour  beyond  His  appointed  time. 
He  might  and  did  use  Egypt  as  a  school,  and  Pha- 
raoh as  a  schoolmaster ;  but  when  the  needed  work 
was  accomplished,  both  the  school  and  the  school- 
master were  set  aside,  and  His  people  were  brought 
forth  with  a  high  hand  and  an  outstretched  arm. 

Such,  then,  was  the  double  character  of  the  reve- 
lation made  to  Moses  at  Mount  Horeb.  What  he 


CHAPTER    III.  47 

saw  and  what  he  heard  combined  the  two  elements 
of  holiness  and  grace, — elements  which,  as  we  know, 
enter  into  and  distinctly  characterize  all  the  ways 
and  all  the  relationships  of  the  blessed  God,  and 
which  should  also  mark  the  ways  of  all  those  who 
in  any  wise  act  for,  or  have  fellowship  with,  Him. 
Every  true  servant  is  sent  forth  from  the  immediate 
presence  of  God,  with  all  its  holiness  and  all  its 
grace  ;  and  he  is  called  to  be  holy  and  gracious — he 
is  called  to  be  the  reflection  of  the  grace  and  holi- 
ness of  the  divine  character ;  and,  in  order  that  he 
may  be  so,  he  should  not  only  start  from  the  imme- 
diate presence  of  God  at  the  first,  but  abide  there, 
in  spirit,  habitually.  This  is  the  true  secret  of 
effectual  service. 

"  Childlike,  attend  what  Thou  wilt  say, 
Go  forth  and  do  it,  while  'tis  day, 
Yet  never  leave  my  sweet  retreat." 

The  spiritual  man  alone  can  understand  the  meaning 
of  the  two  things,  "go  forth  and  do,"  and,  "yet 
never  leave."  In  order  to  act  for  God  outside,  I 
should  be  with  Him  inside.  I  must  be  in  the  secret 
sanctuary  of  His  presence,  else  I  shall  utterly  fail. 

Very  many  break  down  on  this  point.  There  is 
the  greatest  possible  danger  of  getting  out  of  the 
solemnity  and  calmness  of  the  divine  presence,  amid 
the  bustle  of  intercourse  with  men,  and  the  excite- 
ment of  active  service.  This  is  to  be  carefully 
guarded  against.  If  we  lose  that  hallowed  tone  of 
spirit  which  is  expressed  in  "the  unshod  foot,"  our 
service  will  very  speedily  become  vapid  and  unprofit- 


48  EXODUS. 

able.  If  I  allow  my  work  to  get  between  my  heart 
and  the  Master,  it  will  be  little  worth.  We  can  only 
effectually  serve  Christ  as  we  are  enjoying  Him.  It 
is  while  the  heart  dwells  upon  His  powerful  attrac- 
tions that  the  hands  perform  the  most  acceptable 
service  to  His  name ;  nor  is  there  any  one  who  can 
minister  Christ  with  unction,  freshness,  and  power 
to  others,  if  he  be  not  feeding  upon  Christ,  in  the 
secret  of  his  own  soul.  True,  he  may  preach  a 
sermon,  deliver  a  lecture,  utter  prayers,  write  a 
book,  and  go  through  the  entire  routine  of  outward 
service,  and  yet  not  minister  Christ.  The  man  who 
will  present  Christ  to  others  must  be  occupied  with 
Christ  for  himself. 

Happy  is  the  man  who  ministers  thus,  whatever  be 
the  success  or  reception  of  his  ministry.  For  should 
his  ministry  fail  to  attract  attention,  to  command 
influence,  or  to  produce  apparent  results,  lie  has  his 
sweet  re  treat  and  his  unfailing  portion  in  Christ,  of 
which  nothing  can  deprive  him.  Whereas,  the  man 
who  is  merely  feeding  upon  the  fruits  of  his  ministry, 
who  delights  in  the  gratification  which  it  affords,  or 
the  attention  and  interest  which  it  commands,  is  like 
a  mere  pipe,  conveying  water  to  others,  and  retain- 
ing only  rust  itself.  This  is  a  most  deplorable  con- 
dition to  be  in  ;  and  }Tet  is  it  the  actual  condition  of 
every  servant  vilio  is  more  occupied  with  his  work 
and  its  results,  than  with  the  Master  and  His  glory. 

This  is  a  matter  which  calls  for  the  most  rigid  self- 
judgment.  The  heart  is  deceitful,  and  the  enemy  is 
crafty ;  and  hence  there  is  great  need  to  hearken  to 


CHAPTER    III.  49 

the  word  of  exhortation,  uBe  sober,  be  vigilant." 
It  is  when  the  soul  is  awakened  to  a  sense  of  the 
varied  and  manifold  dangers  which  beset  the  serv- 
ant's path,  that  it  is,  in  any  measure,  able  to  under- 
stand the  need  there  is  for  being  much  alone  with 
God :  it  is  there  one  is  secure  and  happy.  It  is 
when  we  begin,  continue,  and  end  our  work  at  the 
Master's  feet,  that  our  service  will  be  of  the  right 
kind. 

From  all  that  has  been  said,  it  must  be  evident  to 
my  reader  that  every  servant  of  Christ  will  find  the 
air  of  "the  backside  of  the  desert"  most  salutary. 
Horeb  is  really  the  starting-post  for  all  wrhom  God 
sends  forth  to  act  for  Him.  It  was  at  Horeb  that 
Moses  learnt  to  put  off  his  shoes  and  hide  his  face. 
Forty  years  before,  he  had  gone  to  work ;  but  his 
movement  was  premature.  It  was  amid  the  flesh- 
subduing  solitudes  of  the  mount  of  God,  and  forth 
from  the  burning  bush,  that  the  divine  commission 
fell  on  the  servant's  ear,  "Come  now,  therefore,  and 
I  will  send  thee  unto  Pharaoh,  that  thou  mayest 
bring  forth  my  people,  the  children  of  Israel,  out  of 
Egypt."  (Yer.  10.)  Here  was  real  authority.  There 
is  avast  difference  between  God  sending  a  man,  and 
a  man  running  unsent.  But  it  is  very  manifest  that 
Moses  was  not  ripe  for  service  when  first  he  set  about 
acting.  If  forty  years  of  secret  training  were  need- 
ful for  him,  how  could  he  have  got  on  without  it  ? 
Impossible  !  He  had  to  be  divinely  educated  and 
divinely  commissioned ;  and  so  must  all  who  go 
forth  upon  a  path  of  service  or  testimony  for  Christ. 


50  EXODUS. 

O,"  that  these  holy  lessons  may  be  deeply  graven  on 
all  our  hearts,  that  so  our  every  work  may  wear 
upon  it  the  stamp  of  the  Master's  authority  and 
the  Master's  approval. 

However,  we  have  something  further  to  learn  at 
the  foot  of  Mount  Horeb.  The  soul  finds  it  season- 
able to  linger  in  this  place.  "It  is  good  to  be  here." 
The  presence  of  God  is  ever  a,  deeply  practical  place ; 
the  heart  is  sure  to  be  laid  open  there.  The  light 
that  shines  in  that  holy  place  makes  everything 
manifest ;  and  this  is  what  is  so  much  needed  in  the 
midst  of  the  hollow  pretension  around  us,  and  the 
pride  and  self-complacency  within. 

We  might  be  disposed  to  think  that  the  very  mo- 
ment the  divine  commission  was  given  to  Moses,  his 
reply  would  be,  Here  am  I,  or,  Lord,  what  wilt 
Thou  have  me  to  do  ?  But  no ;  he  had  yet  to  be 
brought  to  this.  Doubtless,  he  was  affected  by  the 
remembrance  of  his  former  failure.  If  a  man  acts 
in  anything  without  God,  he  is  sure  to  be  discour- 
aged, even  when  God  is  sending  him.  "And  Moses 
said  unto  God,  'Who  am  I  that  I  should  go  unto 
Pharaoh,  and  that  I  should  bring  forth  the  children 
of  Israel  out  of  Egypt  ?'  "  (Ver.  11.)  This  is  very 
unlike  the  man  who,  forty  years  before,  "supposed 
that  his  brethren  would  have  understood  how  that 
God  by  his  hand  would  deliver  -them."  Such  is 
man  !— at  one  time  too  hasty;  at  another  time  too 
slow.  Moses  had  learnt  a  great  deal  since  the  day 
in  which  he  smote  the  Egyptian.  He  had  grown  in 
the  knowledge  of  himself,  and  this  produced  diffi- 


CHAPTER    III.  51 

dence  and  timidity.  But  then  he  manifestly  lacked 
confidence  in  God.  If  I  am  merely  looking  at  my- 
self, I  shall  do  "nothing;"  but  if  I  am  looking  at 
Christ,  ' '  I  can  do  all  things. ' '  Thus,  when  diffidence 
and  timidity  led  Moses  to  say,  "Who  am  I  ?"  God's 
answer  was,  "Certainly  I  will  be  with  thee."  (Yer. 
12.)  This  ought  to  have  been  sufficient.  If  God 
be  with  me,  it  makes  very  little  matter  who  I  am,  or 
what  I  am.  When  God  says,  "  I  will  send  thee," 
and  "I  will  be  with  thee,"  the  servant  is  amply 
furnished  with  divine  authority  and  divine  power; 
and  he  ought,  therefore,  to  be  perfectly  satisfied  to 
go  forth. 

But  Moses  puts  another  question  ;  for  the  human 
heart  is  full  of  questions.  "And  Moses  said  unto 
God,  'Behold,  when  I  come  unto  the  children  of 
Israel  and  shall  say  unto  them,  The  God  of  your 
fathers  hath  sent  me  unto  you ;  and  they  shall  say 
to  me,  What  is  His  name  ?  what  shall  I  say  unto 
them  ? '  '  It  is  marvelous  to  see  how  the  human 
heart  reasons  and  questions,  when  unhesitating  obe- 
dience is  that  which  is  due  to  God ;  and  still  more 
marvelous  is  the  grace  that  bears  with  all  the  reason- 
ings and  answers  all  the  questions.  Each  question 
seems  but  to  elicit  some  new  feature  of  divine  grace. 

"And  God  said  unto  Moses,  'I  AM  THAT  I 
AM;'  and  He  said,  'Thus  shalt  thou  say  unto  the 
children  of  Israel,  I  AM  hath  sent  me  unto  you.' ' 
(Ver.  14.)  The  title  which  God  here  gives  Himself 
is  one  of  wondrous  significancy.  In  tracing  through 
Scripture  the  various  names  which  God  takes,  we 


52  EXODUS. 

find  them  intimately  connected  with  the  varied  need 
.  of  those  with  whom  He  was  in  relation.  "  Jehovah- 
jireh"  (the  Lord  will  provide),  "  Jehovah-nissi" 
(the  Lord  my  banner),  "  Jehovah-shalom  "  (the 
Lord  send  peace),  "  Jehovah-tsidkenu "  (the  Lord 
our  righteousness), — all  these  His  gracious  titles 
are  unfolded  to  meet  the  necessities  of  His  people ; 
and  when  He  calls  Himself  "I  AM,"  it  comprehends 
them  all.  Jehovah,  in  taking  this  title,  was  furnish- 
ing His  people  with  a  blank  check,  to  be  filled  up  to 
any  amount.  He  calls  Himself  "I  AM,"  and  faith 
has  but  to  write  over  against  that  ineffably  precious 
name  whatever  we  want.  God  is  the  only  significant 
figure,  and  human  need  may  add  the  ciphers.  If  we 
want  life,  Christ  says,  "I  AM  the  life  ;  "  if  we  want 
righteousness,  He  is  "THE  LORD  OUR  RIGHT- 
EOUSNESS;" if  we  want  peace,  "He  is  our 
peace;"  if  we  want  "wisdom,  sanctification,  and 
redemption,"  He  "is^made"  all  these  "unto  us." 
In  a  word,  we  may  travel  through  the  wide  range  of 
human  necessity,  in  order  to  have  a  just  conception 
of  the  amazing  depth  and  fullness  of  this  profound 
and  adorable  name,  "I  AM." 

What  a  mercy  to  be  called  to  walk  in  companion- 
ship with  One  who  bears  such  a  name  as  this  !  We 
are  in  the  wilderness,  and  there  we  have  to  meet 
with  trial,  sorrow,  and  difficulty  ;  but,  so  long  as  we 
have  the  happy  privilege  of  betaking  ourselves,  at 
all  times  and  under  all  circumstances,  to  One  who 
reveals  Himself  in  His  manifold  grace,  in  connection 
with  our  every  necessity  and  weakness,  we  need  not 


CHAPTER    III.  5,') 

fear  the  wilderness.  God  was  about  to  bring  His 
people  across  the  sandy  desert,  when  He  disclosed 
this  precious  and  comprehensive  name  ;  and  although 
the  believer  now,  as  being  endowed  with  the  Spirit 
of  adoption,  can  cry,  "Abba,  Father,'1  yet  is  he  not 
deprived  of  the  privilege  of  enjoying  communion 
with  God  in  each  and  every  one  of  those  manifesta- 
tions which  He  has  been  pleased  to  make  of  Himself. 
For  example,  the  title  "God"  reveals  Him  as  acting 
in  the  solitariness  of  His  own  being,  displaying  His 
eternal  power  and  Godhead  in  the  works  of  creation. 
"The  Lord  God"  is  the  title  which  He  takes  in 
connection  with  man.  Then,  as  "the  Almighty 
God,"  He  rises  before  the  view  of  His  servant  Abra- 
ham, in  order  to  assure  his  heart  in  reference  to  the 
accomplishment  of  His  promise  touching  the  seed. 
As  "Jehovah,"  He  made  Himself  known  to  Israel, 
in  delivering  them  out  of  the  land  of  Egypt,  and 
bringing  them  into  the  land  of  Canaan. 

Such  were  the  various  measures  and  various  modes 
in  which  "God  spake  in  times  past  unto  the  fathers, 
by  the  prophets"  (Heb.  i.  1.);  and  the  believer, 
under  this  dispensation  or  economy,  as  possessing 
the  Spirit  of  sonship,  can  say,  It  was  my  Father 
who  thus  revealed  Himself,  thus  spoke,  thus  acted. 

Nothing  can  be  more  interesting  or  practically 
important  in  its  way  than  to  follow  out  those  great 
dispensational  titles  of  God.  These  titles  are  always 
used  in  strict  moral  consistency  with  the  circum- 
stances under  which  they  are  disclosed ;  but  there 
is,  in  the  name  "I  AM,"  a  height,  a  depth,  a  length, 
5 


54  EXODUS. 

a  breadth,    which   truly  pass   beyond   the   utmost 
stretch  of  human  conception. 

"When  God  would  teach  mankind  His  name, 
He  calls  Himself  the  great  <I  AM,' 
And  leaves  a  blank — believers  may 
Supply  those  things  for  which  they  pray." 

And,  be  it  observed,  it  is  only  in  connection  with 
His  own  people  that  He  takes  this  name.  He  did 
not  address  Pharaoh  in  this  name.  When  speaking 
to  him,  He  calls  Himself  by  that  commanding  and 
majestic  title,  "The  Lord  God  of  the  Hebrews;" 
i.e.,  God,  in  connection  with  the  very  people  whom 
he  was  seeking  to  crush.  This  ought  to  have  been 
sufficient  to  show  Pharaoh  his  awful  position  with 
respect  to  God.  "I  AM"  would  have  conveyed  no 
intelligible  sound  to  an  uncircumcised  ear — no  divine 
reality  to  an  unbelieving  heart.  When  God  manifest 
in  the  flesh  declared  to  the  unbelieving  Jews  of  His 
day  those  words,  u Before  Abraham  was,  I  am," 
they  took  up  stones  to  cast  at  Him.  It  is  only  the 
true  believer  who  can  feel,  in  any  measure,  the 
power,  or  enjoy  the  sweetness,  of  that  ineffable 
name,  "I  AM.'\  Such  an  one  can  rejoice  to  hear 
from  the  lips  of  the  blessed  Lord  Jesus  such  declar- 
ations as  these: — "/  am  that  bread  of  life,"  "I am 
the  light  of  the  world,""  "/am  the  good  Shepherd," 
"/  am  the  resurrection  and  the  life,"  "/  am  the 
way,  the  truth,  and  the  life,"  "/aw  the  true  vine," 
"/aw  Alpha  and  Omega,"  "/  aw  the  bright  arid 
morning  star."  In  a  word,  he  can  take  every  name 
of  divine  excellence  and  beauty,  and,  having  placed 


CHAPTER    III.  55 

it  after  "I  AM,  find  JESUS  therein,  and  admire, 
adore,  and  worship. 

Thus,  there  is  a  sweetness,  as  well  as  a  compre- 
hensiveness, in  the  name  "I  AM,  which  is  beyond 
all  power  of  expression.  Each  believer  can  find 
therein  that  which  exactly  suits  his  own  spiritual 
need,  whatever  it  be.  There  is  not  a  single  winding 
in  all  the  Christian's  wilderness  journey,  not  a  single 
phase  of  his  soul's  experience,  not  a  single  point  in 
his  condition,  which  is  not  divinely  met  by  this  title, 
for  the  simplest  of  all  reasons,  that  whatever  he 
wants,  he  has  but  to  place  it,  by  faith,  over  against 
"I  AM"  and  find  it  all  in  Jesus.  To  the  believer, 
therefore,  however  feeble  and  faltering,  there  is  un- 
' mingled  blessedness  in  this  name. 

But  although  it  was  to  the  elect  of  God  that  Moses 
was  commanded  to  say,  "I  AM  hath  sent  me  unto 
you,"  yet  is  there  deep  solemnity  and  reality  in  that 
name  when  looked  at  with  reference  to  the  unbe- 
liever. If  one  who  is  yet  in  his  sins  contemplates, 
for  a  moment,  this  amazing  title,  he  cannot,  surely, 
avoid  asking  himself  the  question,  How  do  I  stand 
as  to  this  Being  who  calls  Himself,  "I  AM  THAT 
I  AM"?  If,  indeed,  it  be  true  that  HE  IS,  then 
what  is  He  to  me  ?  What  am  I  to  write  over  against 
this  solemn  name,  "I  AM"?  I  shall  not  rob  this 
question  of  its  characteristic  weight  and  power  by 
any  words  of  my  own ;  but  I  pray  that  God  the  Holy 
Ghost  may  make  it  searching  to  the  conscience  of 
any  reader  who  really  needs  to  be  searched  thereb}'. 

I  cannot  close  this  section  without  calling  the  at- 


56  EXODUS 

tention  of  the  Christian  reader  to  the  deeply  inter- 
esting declaration  contained  in  the  fifteenth  verse, — 
"And  God  said,  moreover,  unto  Moses,  'Thus  shalt 
thou  say  unto  the  children  of  Israel,  The  Lord  God 
of  your  fathers,  the  God  of  Abraham,  the  God  of 
Isaac,  and  the  God  of  Jacob,  hath  sent  me  unto 
you  :  this  is  My  name  forever,  and  this  is  My  memo- 
rial  to  all  generations.' '  This  statement  contains  a 
very  important  truth — a.  truth  which  many  profess- 
ing Christians  seem  to  forget,  namety,  that  God's 
relationship  with  Israel  is  an  eternal  one.  He  is  just 
as  much  Israel's  God  now  as  when  He  visited  them 
in  the  land  of  Egypt.  Only,  because  of  rejecting 
their  Messiah,  they  are,  in  His  governmental  dealings, 
set  aside  for  a  time.  But  His  word  is  clear  and  em- 
phatic:  "This  is  My  name  forever."  He  does  not 
say,  This  is  My  name  for  a  time,  so  long  as  they  con- 
tinue what  they  ought  to  be.  No  ;  ' ;  This  is  My  name 
forever,  and  this  is  My  memorial  unto  all  generations." 
Let  my  reader  ponder  this.  ' '  God  hath  not  cast  away 
His  people  which  He  foreknew. ' '  (Rom.  xi.  2. )  They 
arc  His  people  still,  whether  obedient  or  disobedient, 
united  together  or  scattered  abroad,  manifested  to 
the  nations  or  hidden  from  their  view.  They  are  His 
people,  and  He  is  their  God.  Exodus  iii.  15  is  un- 
answerable. The  professing  church  has  no  warrant 
whatever  for  ignoring  a  relationship  which  God  says 
is  to  endure  "forever."  Let  us  beware  how  we 
tamper  with  this  weighty  word,  "forever."  If  we 
say  it  does  not  mean  forever  when  applied  to  Israel, 
what  proof  have  we  that  it  means  forever  when  ap- 


CHAPTER    III.  57 

plied  to  us  ?  God  means  what  He  says ;  and  He 
will,  ere  long,  make  manifest  to  all  the  nations  of 
the  earth  that  His  connection  with  Israel  is  one 
which  shall  outlive  all  the  revolutions  of  time.  "The 
gifts  and  calling  of  God  are  without  repentance." 
When  He  said,  "This  is  My  name  forever,"  He 
spoke  absolutely.  "I  AM"  declared  Himself  to  be 
Israel's  God  forever ;  and  all  the  Gentiles  shall  be 
made  to  bow  to  this ;  and  to  know,  moreover,  that 
all  God's  providential  dealings  with  them,  and  all 
their  destinies,  are  connected,  in  some  way  or  other, 
with  that  favored  and  honored,  though  now  judged 
and  scattered,  people.  "When  the  Most  High 
divided  to  the  nations  their  inheritance,  when  He 
separated  the  sons  of  Adam,  He  set  the  bounds  of 
the  people  according  to  the  number  of  the  children 
of  Israel.  For  the  Lord's  portion  is  His  people; 
Jacob  is  the  lot  of  His  inheritance."  (Deut.  xxxii. 
8,9.) 

Has  this  ceased  to  be  true  ?  Has  Jehovah  given 
up  His  "portion,"  and  surrendered  "the  lot  of  His 
inheritance"?  Does  His  eye  of  tender  love  no 
longer  rest  on  Israel's  scattered  tribes,  long  lost  to 
man's  vision  ?  Are  the  walls  of  Jerusalem  no  longer 
before  Him  ?  or  has  her  dust  ceased  to  be  precious 
in  His  sight  ?  To  reply  to  these  inquiries  would  be 
to  quote  a  large  portion  of  the  Old  Testament,  and 
not  a  little  of  the  New ;  but  this  would  not  be  the 
place  to  enter  elaborately  upon  such  a  subject.  I 
would  only  say,  in  closing  this  section,  let  not  Chris- 
tendom "be  ignorant  of  this  mystery,  that  blindness 


58  EXODUS. 


in  part  is  happened  to  Israel,  until  the  fullness  of 
the  Gentiles  be  come  in.  And  so  all  Israel  shall  be 
saved."  (Rom.  xi.  25,  26.) 


CHAPTER  IV. 

WE  are  still  called  to  linger  at  the  foot  of  Mount 
Horeb,  at  "the  backside  of  the  desert ; "  and 
truly,  the  air  of  this  place  is  most  healthful  for  the 
spiritual  constitution.  Man's  unbelief  and  God's 
boundless  grace  are  here  made  manifest  in  a  strik- 
ing way. 

"And  Moses  answered  and  said,  'But,  behold, 
they  will  not  believe-  me,  nor  hearken  unto  my  voice ; 
for  they  will  say,  The  Lord  hath  not  appeared  unto 
thee.'  "  How  hard  it  is  to  overcome  the  unbelief  of 
the  human  heart !  How  difficult  man  ever  finds  it 
to  trust  God  !  How  slow  he  is  to  venture  upon  the 
naked  promise  of  Jehovah  !  Anything,  for  nature, 
but  that.  The  most  slender  reed  that  the  human 
eye  can  see  is  counted  more  substantial,  by  far,  as  a 
basis  for  nature's  confidence,  than  the  unseen  "Rock 
of  ages."  Nature  will  rush  with  avidity  to  any 
creature  stream  or  broken  cistern,  rather  than  abide 
by  the  unseen  "Fountain  of  living  waters." 

We  might  suppose  that  Moses  had  seen  and  heard 
enough  to  set  his  fears  entirely  aside.  The  consum- 
ing fire  in  the  unconsumed  bush,  the  condescending 
grace,  the  precious,  endearing,  and  .comprehensive 
titles,  the  divine  commission,  the  assurance  of  the 


CHAPTER    IV.  59 

divine  presence, — all  these  might  have  quelled  every 
anxious  thought,  and  have  imparted  a  settled  as- 
surance to  the  heart.  Still,  however,  Moses  raises 
questions,  and  still  God  answers  them ;  and,  as  we 
have  remarked,  each  successive  question  brings  out 
fresh  grace.  "And  the  Lord  said  unto  him,  'What 
is  that  in  thine  hand?'  And  he  said,  'A  rod.'' 
The  Lord  would  just  take  him  as  he  was,  and  use 
what  he  had  in  his  hand.  The  rod  with  which  he 
had  tended  Jethro's  sheep  was  about  to  be  used  to 
deliver  the  Israel  of  God,  to  chastise  the  land  of 
Egypt,  to  make  a  way  through  the  deep,  for  the 
ransomed  of  the  Lord  to  pass  over,  and  to  bring 
forth  water  from  the  flinty  rock  to  refresh  Israel's 
thirsty  hosts  in  the  desert.  God  takes  up  the  weak- 
est instruments  to  accomplish  His  mightiest  ends. 
"A  rod,"  u  a  ram's  horn,"  "  a  cake  of  barley  meal," 
* ' an.  earthen  pitcher, "  "a  shepherd's  sling, ' ' — any- 
thing, in  short,  when  used  of  God,  will  do  the  ap- 
pointed work.  Men  imagine  that  splendid  ends  can 
only  be  reached  by  splendid  means  ;  but  such  is  not 
God's  way.  He  can  use  a  crawling  worm  as  well  as 
a  scorching  sun,  a  gourd  as  well  as  a  vehement  east 
wind.  (See  Jonah.) 

But  Moses  had  to  learn  a  deep  lesson,  both  as  to 
the  rod  and  the  hand  that  was  to  use  it.  He  had  to 
learn,  and  the  people  had  to  be  convinced.  "And 
He  said,  'Cast  it  on  the  ground.'  And  he  cast  it 
on  the  ground,  and  it  became  a  serpent ;  and  Moses 
fled  from  before  it.  And  the  Lord  said  unto  Moses, 
'Put  forth  thine  hand  and  take  it  by  the  tail.'  And 


60  EXODUS. 

he  put  forth  his  hand  and  caught  it,  and  it  became 
a  rod  in  his  hand  ;  '  that  they  may  believe  that  the 
Lord  God  of  their  fathers,  the  God  of  Abraham, 
the  God  of  Isaac,  and  the  God  of  Jacob,  hath  ap- 
peared unto  thee.' '  This  is  a  deeply  significant 
sign.  The  rod  became  a  serpent,  so  that  Moses  fled 
from  it;  but,  being  commissioned  by  Jehovah,  he 
took  the  serpent  by  the  tail,  and  it  became  a  rod. 
Nothing  could  more  aptly  express  the  idea  of  Satan's 
power  being  turned  against  himself.  This  is  largely 
exemplified  in  the  ways  of  God.  Moses  himself  was 
a  striking  example.  The  serpent  is  entirely  under 
the  hand  of  Christ ;  and  when  he  has  reached  the 
highest  point  in  his  mad  career,  he  shall  be  hurled 
into  the  lake  of  fire,  there  to  reap  the  fruits  of  his 
work  throughout  eternity's  countless  ages.  "That 
old  serpent,  the  accuser,  and  the  adversary,"  shall 
be  eternally  crushed  beneath  the  rod  of  God's 
Anointed. 

"Then  the  end — beneath  His  rod, 

Man's  last  enemy  shall  fall; 
Hallelujah  !  Christ  in  God, 
God  in  Christ,  is  all  in  all." 

"And  the  Lord  said  furthermore  unto  him,  'Put 
now  thine  hand  into  thy  bosom.'  And  he  put  his 
hand  into  his  bosom ;  and  when  he  took  it  out,  be- 
hold his  hand  was  leprous  as  snow.  And  He  said, 
'Put  thine  hand  into  thy  bosom  again.'  And  he  put 
his  hand  into  his  bosom  again,  and  plucked  it  out  of 
his  bosom ;  and,  behold,  it  was  turned  again  as  his 
other  flesh."  The  leprous  hand  and  the  cleansing 


CHAPTER    IV.  61 

thereof  present  to  us  the  moral  effect  of  sin,  as  also 
the  way  in  which  sin  has  been  met  in  the  perfect 
work  of  Christ.  The  clean  hand,  placed  in  the 
bosom,  becomes  leprous ;  and  the  leprous  hand, 
placed  there,  becomes  clean.  Leprosy  is  the  well- 
known  type  of  sin ;  and  sin  came  in  by  the  first 
man  and  was  put  away  by  the  second.  "By  man 
came  death,  by  man  came  also  the  resurrection  of 
the  dead."  (1  Cor.  xv.  21.)  Man  brought  in  ruin, 
man  brought  in  redemption ;  man  brought  in  guilt, 
man  brought  in  pardon ;  man  brought  in  sin,  man 
brought  in  righteousness ;  man  filled  the  scene  with 
death,  man  abolished  death  and  filled  the  scene  with 
life,  righteousness,  and  glory.  Thus,  not  only  shall 
the  serpent  himself  be  eternally  defeated  and  con- 
founded, but  every  trace  of  his  abominable  work 
shall  be  eradicated  and  wiped  away  by  the  atoning 
sacrifice  of  Him  "  who  was  manifested  that  He  might 
destroy  the  works  of  the  devil." 

"And  it  shall  come  to  pass,  if  they  will  not  believe 
also  these  two  signs,  neither  hearken  unto  thy  voice, 
that  thou  shalt  take  of  the  water  of  the  river,  and 
pour  it  upon  the  dry  land  ;  and  the  water  which  thou 
takest  out  of  the  river  shall  become  blood  upon  the 
dry  land."  This  was  a  solemn  and  most  expressive 
figure  of  the  consequence  of  refusing  to  bow  to  the 
divine  testimony.  This  sign  was  only  to  be  wrought 
in  the  event  of  their  refusing  the  other  two.  It  was 
first  to  be  a  sign  to  Israel,  and  afterwards  a  plague 
upon  Egypt.  (Comp.  chapter  vii.  17.) 

All  this,  however,  fails   to  satisfy  the  heart  of 


62  EXODUS. 

Moses.  "And  Moses  said  unto  the  Lord,  ;O  my 
Lord,  I  am  not  eloquent,  neither  heretofore  nor  since 
Thou  hast  spoken  unto  Thy  servant ;  but  I  am  slow 
of  speech,  and  of  a  slow  tongue.' '  Terrible  back- 
wardness !  Naught  save  Jehovah's  infinite  patience 
could  have  endured  it.  Surely,  when  God  Himself 
had  said,  "I  will  be  with  thee,"  it  was  an  infallible 
security,  in  reference  to  .everything  which  could 
possibly  be  needed.  If  an  eloquent  tongue  were 
necessary,  what  had  Moses  to  do  but  to  set  it  over 
against  "I  AM"?  Eloquence,  wisdom,  might, 
energy, — everything  was  contained  in  that  exhaust- 
less  treasury.  "And  the  Lord  said  unto  him,  'Who 
hath  made  man's  mouth  ?  or  who  maketh  the  dumb, 
or  deaf,  or  the  seeing,  or  the  blind  ?  have  not  I  the 
Lord  ?  Now,  therefore,  go,  and  I  will  be  with  thy 
mouth,  and  teach  thee  what  thou  shalt  say. ' '  Pro- 
found, adorable,  matchless  grace  !  worthy  of  God  ! 
There  is  none  like  unto  the  Lord  our  God,  whoso 
patient  grace  surmounts  all  our  difficulties,  and 
proves  itself  amply  sufficient  for  our  manifold  need 
and  weakness.  "I  THE  LORD"  ought  to  silence 
forever  the  reasonings  of  our  carnal  hearts.  But, 
alas!  these  reasonings  are  hard  to  be  put  down. 
Again  and  again  they  rise  to  the  surface,  to  the 
disturbance  of  our  peace,  and  the  dishonor  of  that 
blessed  One,  who  sets  Himself  before  our  souls,  in 
all  His  own  essential  fullness,  to  be  used  according 
to  our  need. 

It  is  well  to  bear  in  mind  that  when  we  have  the 
Lord  with  us,  our  very  deficiencies  and  infirmities 


CHAPTER    IV.  G3 

become  an  occasion  for  the  display  of  His  all-suffi- 
cient grace  and  perfect  patience.  Had  Moses  re- 
membered this,  his  want  of  eloquence  need  not  have 
troubled  him.  The  apostle  Paul  learnt  to  say, 
"Most  gladly,  therefore,  will  I  rather  glory  in  my 
infirmities,  that  the  power  of  Christ  may  rest  upon 
me.  Therefore  /  take  pleasure  in  infirmities,  in  re- 
proaches, in  necessities,  in  persecutions,  in  distresses 
for  Christ's  sake;-  for  when  I  am  weak,  then  am  I 
strong."  (2  Cor.  xii.  9,  10.)  This  is,  assuredly, 
the  utterance  of  one  who  had  reached  an  advanced 
form  in  the  school  of  Christ.  It  is  the  experience  of 
one  who  would  not  have  been  much  troubled  because 
of  not  possessing  an  eloquent  tongue,  inasmuch  as 
he  had  found  an  answer  to  every  description  of  need 
in  the  precious  grace  of  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ. 

The  knowledge  of  this  truth  ought  to  have  de- 
livered Moses  from  his  diffidence  and  inordinate 
timidity.  When  the  Lord  had  so  graciously  assured 
him  that  He  would  be  with  his  mouth,  it  should  have 
set  his  mind  at  rest  as  to  the  question  of  eloquence. 
The  Maker  of  man's  mouth  could  fill  that  mouth 
with  the  most  commanding  eloquence,  if  such  were 
needed.  This,  in  the  judgment  of  faith,  is  most 
simple ;  but,  alas  !  the  poor  doubting  heart  would 
place  far  more  confidence  in  an  eloquent  tongue  than 
in  the  One  who  created  it.  This  would  seem  most 
unaccountable,  did  we  not  know  the  materials  of 
which  the  natural  heart  is  composed.  That  heart 
cannot  trust  God  ;  and  hence  it  is  that  even  the 
people  of  God,  when  they  suffer  themselves  to  be  in 


64  EXODUS. 

any  measure  governed  by  nature,  exhibit  such  a 
humiliating  lack  of  confidence  in  the  living  God. 

Thus,  in  the  scene  before  us,  we  find  Moses  still 
demurring.  "And  he  said,  'O  my  Lord,  send,  I 
prav  Thee,  by  the  hand  of  him  whom  Thou  wilt 
send.'  "  This  was,  in  reality,  casting  from  him  the 
high  honor  of  being  Jehovah's  sole  messenger  to 
Egypt  and  to  Israel. 

It  were  needless  to  say  that  divinely-wTrought  hu- 
mility is  an  inestimable  grace.  To  "be  clothed  with 
humility"  is  a  divine  precept;  and  humility  is  un- 
.questionably  the  most  becoming  dress  in  which  a 
worthless  sinner  can  appear.  But  it  cannot  be  called 
humility  to  refuse  to  take .  the  place  which  God  as- 
signs, or  to  tread  the  path  which  His  hand  marks 
out  for  us.  That  it  was  not  true  humility  in  Moses 
is  obvious  from  the  fact  that  "the  anger  of  the  Lord 
was  kindled  against  him."  So  far  from  its  being 
humility,  it  had  actually  passed  the  limit  of  mere 
weakness.  So  long  as  it  wore  the  aspect  of  an 
excessive  timidity,  however  reprehensible,  God's 
boundless  grace  bore  with  it,  and  met  it  with  re- 
newed assurances  ;  but  when  it  assumed  the  charac- 
ter of  unbelief  and  slowness  of  heart,  it  drew  down 
Jehovah's  just  displeasure;  and  Moses,  instead  of 
being  the  sole,  is  made  a  joint,  instrument  in  the 
work  of  testimony  and  deliverance. 

Nothing  is  more  dishonoring  to  God,  or  more 
dangerous  for  us,  than  a  mock  humility.  When  we 
refuse  to  occupy  a  position  which  the  grace  of  God 
assigns  us,  because  of  our  not  possessing  certain 


CHAPTER   IV.  65 

virtues  and  qualifications,  this  is  not  humility,  inas- 
much as  if  we  could  but  satisfy  our  own  consciences 
in  reference  to  such  virtues  and  qualifications,  we 
should  then  deem  ourselves  entitled  to  assume  the 
position.  If,  for  instance,  Moses  had  possessed 
such  a  measure  of  eloquence  as  he  deemed  needful, 
we  may  suppose  he  would  have  been  ready  to  go. 
Now  the  question  is,  How  much  eloquence  would  he 
have  needed  to  furnish  him  for  his  mission  ?  The 
answer  is,  Without  God,  no  amount  of  human  elo- 
quence would  have  availed ;  but  with  God,  the 
merest  stammerer  would  have  proved  an  efficient 
minister. 

This  is  a  great  practical  truth.  Unbelief  is  not 
.humility,  but  thorough  pride.  It  refuses  to  believe 
God  because  it  does  not  find  in  self  a  reason  for  be- 
lieving. This  is  the  very  height  of  presumption. 
If,  when  God  speaks,  I  refuse  to  believe,  on  the 
ground  of  something  in  myself,  I  make  Him  a  liar. 
(I  John  v.  10.)  When  God  declares  His  love,  and 
I  refuse  to  believe  because  I  do  not  deem  myself  a 
sufficiently  worthy  object,  I  make  Him  a  liar,  and 
exhibit  the  inherent  pride  of  my  heart.  The  bare 
supposition  that  I  could  ever  be  worthy  of  aught 
save  the  lowest  pit  of  hell,  can  only  be  regarded  as 
the  most  profound  ignorance  of  my  own  condition 
and  of  God's  requirements.  And  the  refusal  to 
take  the  place  which  the  redeeming  love  of  God 
assigns  me,  on  the  ground  of  the  finished  atonement 
of  Christ,  is  to  make  God  a  liar,  and  cast  gross  dis- 
honor upon  the  sacrifice  of  the  cross.  God's  love 


66  EXODUS. 

flows  forth  spontaneously.  It  is  not  drawn  forth  by 
nay  deserts,  but  by  my  misery.  Nor  is  it  a  question 
as  to  the  place  which  I  deserve,  but  which  Christ 
deserves.  Christ  took  the  sinner's  place  on  the 
cross,  that  the  sinner  might  take  His  place  in  the 
glory.  Christ  got  what  the  sinner  deserved,  that 
the  sinner  might  get  what  Christ  deserves.  Thus 
self  is  totally  set  aside,  and  this  is  true  humility. 
No  one  can  be  truly  humble  until  he  has  reached 
heaven ''s  side  of  the  cross ;  but  there  he  finds  di- 
vine life,  divine  righteousness,  and  divine  favor. 
He  is  done  with  himself  forever,  as  regards  any 
expectation  of  goodness  or  righteousness,  and  he 
feeds  upon  the  princely  wealth  of  another.  He  is 
morally  prepared  to  join  in  that  cry  which  shall, 
echo  through  the  spacious  vault  of  heaven,  through- 
out the  everlasting  ages,  "Not  unto  us,  O  Lord, 
not  unto  us,  but  unto  Thy  name  give  glory." 
(Psalm  cxv.  1.) 

It  would  ill  become  us  to  dwell  upon  the  mistakes 
or  infirmities  of  so  honored  a  servant  as  Moses,  of 
whom  we  read  that  he  ' fc  was  verily  faithful  in  all  his 
house,  as  a  servant,  for  a  testimony  of  those  things 
which  were  to  be  spoken  after."  (Heb.  iii.  5.)  But, 
though  we  should  not  dwell  upon  them  in  a  spirit  of 
self-complacency,  as  if  we  would  have  acted  differ- 
ently in  his  circumstances,  we  should  nevertheless 
learn  from  such  things  those  holy  and  seasonable 
lessons  which  they  are  manifestly  designed  to  teach. 
We  should  learn  to  judge  ourselves  and  to  place 
more  implicit  confidence  in  God, — to  set  self  aside, 


CHAPTER    IV.  67 

that  He  might  act  in  us,  through  us,  and  for  us. 
This  is  the  true  secret  of  power. 

We  have  remarked  that  Moses  forfeited  the  dig- 
nity of  being  Jehovah's  sole  instrument  in  that 
glorious  work  which  He  was  about  to  accomplish. 
But  this  was  not  all.  "The  anger  of  the  Lord  was 
kindled  against  Moses  ;  and  He  said,  '  Is  not  Aaron 
the  Levite  thy  brother  ?  I  know  that  he  can  speak 
well:  and  also,  behold,  he  cometh  forth  to  meet 
thee  ;  and  when  he  seeth  thee,  he  will  be  glad  in  his 
heart.  And  tliou  slialt  speak  unto  Mm,  and  put  words 
in  Ills  mouth :  and  I  will  be  with  thy  mouth,  and 
with  his  mouth,  and  will  teach  you  what  ye  shall  do. 
And  he  shall  be  thy  spokesman  unto  the  people: 
and  he  shall  be,  even  he  shall  be  to  thee  instead  of  a 
mouth,  and  thou  shalt  be  to  him  instead  of  God. 
And  thou  shalt  take  this  rod  in  thine  hand,  where- 
with thou  shalt  do  signs/  "  (Chap.  iv.  14-17.)  This 
passage  contains  a  mine  of  most  precious  practical 
instruction.  We  have  noted  the  timidity  and  hesi- 
tation of  Moses,  notwithstanding  the  varied  promises 
and  assurances  with  which  divine  grace  had  furnished 
him.  And  now,  although  there  was  nothing  gained 
in  the  way  of  real  power,  although  there  was  no 
more  virtue  or  efficacy  in  one  mouth  than  in  another, 
although  it  was  Moses  after  all  who  was  to  speak 
unto  Aaron  ;  yet  was  Moses  quite  ready  to  go  when 
assured  of  the  presence  and  co-operation  of  a  poor 
feeble  mortal  like  himself;  whereas  he  could  not  go 
when  assured,  again  and  again,  that  Jehovah  would 
be  with  him. 


68  EXODUS. 

Oh  !  my  reader,  does  not  all  this  hold  up  before 
us  a  faithful  mirror  in  which  you  and  I  can  see  our 
hearts  reflected  ?  Truly  it  does.  We  are  more 
ready  to  trust  anything  than  the  living  God.  We 
move  along  with  bold  decision  when  we  possess  the 
countenance  and  support  of  a  poor  frail  mortal  like 
ourselves ;  but  we  falter,  hesitate,  and  demur  when 
we  have  the  light  of  the  Master's  countenance  to 
cheer  us,  and  the  strength  of  His  omnipotent  arm  to 
support  us.  This  should  humble  us  deeply  before 
the  Lord,  and  lead  us  to  seek  a  fuller  acquaintance 
with  Him,  so  that  we  might  trust  Him  with  a  more 
unmixed  confidence,  and  walk  on  with  a  firmer  step, 
as  having  Him  alone  for  our  resource  and  portion. 

No  doubt  the  fellowship  of  a  brother  is  most  valu- 
able,— "Two  are  better  than  one," — whether  in 
labor,  rest,  or  conflict.  The  Lord  Jesus,  in  sending 
forth  His  disciples,  "sent  them  two  by  two," — for 
unity  is  ever  better* than  isolation  ; — still,  if  our  per- 
sonal acquaintance  with  God,  and  our  experience 
of  His  presence,  be  not  such  as  to  enable  us,  if 
needful,  to  walk  alone,  we  shall  find  the  presence  of 
a  brother  of  very  little  use.  It  is  not  a  little  remark- 
able that  Aaron,  whose  companionship  seemed  to 
satisfy  Moses,  was  the  man  who  afterwards  made  the 
golden  calf.  (Exod.  xxxir.  21.)  Thus  it  frequently 
happens,  that  the  very  person  whose  presence  we 
deem  essential  to  our  progress  and  success,  after- 
wards proves  a  source  of  deepest  sorrow  to  our 
hearts.  May  we  ever  remember  this  ! 

However,  Moses  at  length  consents  to  go;   but 


CHAPTER    IT.  G9 

ere  he  is  fully  equipped  for  his  work,  he  must  pass 
through  another  deep  exercise, — yea,  he  must  have 
the  sentence  of  death  inscribed  by  the  hand  of  God 
upon  his  very  nature.  He  had  learnt  deep  lessons 
at  ' '  the  backside  of  the  desert ; ' '  he  is  called  to 
learn  something  deeper  still,  "by  the  way  in  the 
inn."  It  is  no  light  matter  to  be  the  Lord's  servant. 
No  ordinary  education  will  qualify  a  man  for  such  a 
position.  Nature  must  be  put  in  the  place  of  death, 
and  kept  there.  "We  had  the  sentence  of  death  in 
ourselves,  that  we  should  not  trust  in  ourselves,  but 
in  God  which  raiseth  the  dead."  (2  Cor.  i.  9.) 
Every  successful  servant  will  need  to  know  some- 
thing of  this.  Moses  was  called  to  enter  into  it,  in 
his  own  experience,  ere  he  was  morally  qualified. 
He  was  about  to  sound  in  the  ears  of  Pharaoh  the 
following  deeply  solemn  message:  "Thus  saith  the 
Lord,  'Israel  is  My  son,  even  My  first-born:  and  I 
say  unto  thee,  Let  My  son  go,  that  he  may  serve 
Me :  and  if  thou  refuse  to  let  him  go,  behold  I  will 
slay  thy  son,  even  thy  first-born.'  "  Such  was  to  be 
his  message  to  Pharaoh, — a  message  of  death,  a 
-message  of  judgment;  and,  at  the  same  time,  his 
message  to  Israel  was  a  message  of  life  and  salva- 
tion. But,  be  it  remembered,  that  the  man  who 
will  speak,  on  God's  behalf,  of  death  and  judgment, 
life  and  salvation,  must,  ere  he  docs  so,  enter  into 
the  practical  power  of  these  things  in  his  own  soul. 
Thus  it  was  with  Moses.  We  have  seen  him,  at  the 
very  outset,  in  the  place  of  death,  typically ;  but 
this  was  a  different  thing  from  entering  into  the 
6 


70  EXODUS. 

experience  of  death  in  his  own  person.  Hence  we 
read,  "And  it  came  to  pass,  by  the  way  in  the  inn, 
that  the  Lord  met  him,  and  sought  to  kill  him. 
Then  Zipporah  took  a  sharp  stone,  and  cut  off  the 
foreskin  of  her  son,  and  cast  it  at  his  feet,  and  said, 
'Surely,  a  bloody  husband  art  thou  to  me.'  So  He 
let  him  go :  then  she  said,  c  A  bloody  husband  thou 
art,  because  of  the  circumcision.'  '  This  passage 
lets  us  into  a  deep  secret  in  the  personal  and  domes- 
tic history  of  Moses.  It  is  very  evident  that  Zippo- 
rah's  heart  had,  up  to  this  point,  shrunk  from  the 
application  of  the  knife  to  that  around  which  the 
affections  of  nature  were  entwined.  She  had  avoided 
that  mark  which  had  to  be  set  in  the  flesh  of  every 
member  of  the  Israel  of  God.  She  was  not  aware 
that  her  relationship  with  Moses  was  one  involving 
death  to  nature.  She  recoiled  from  the  cross.  This 
was  natural.  But  Moses  had  yielded  to  her  in  the 
matter  ;  and  this  explains  to  us  the  mysterious  scene 
' '  in  the  inn. "  If  Zipporah  refuses  to  circumcise  her 
son,  Jehovah  will  lay  His  hand  upon  her  husband; 
and  if  Moses  spares  the  feelings  of  his  wife,  Jehovah 
will  * c  seek  to  kill  him. ' '  The  sentence  of  death  must 
be  written  on  nature  ;  and  if  we  seek  to  avoid  it  in 
one  way,  we  shall  have  to  encounter  it  in  another. 

It  has  been  already  remarked  that  Zipporah  fur- 
nishes an  instructive  and  interesting  type  of  the 
Church.  She  was  united  to  Moses  during  the  period 
of  his  rejection ;  and  from  the  passage  just  quoted, 
we  learn  that  the  Church  is  called  to  know  Christ 
as  the  One  related  to  her  "by  blood."  It  is  her 


CHAPTER    IV.  71 

privilege  to  drink  of  His  cup,  and  be  baptized  with 
His  baptism.  Being  crucified  with  Him,  she  is  to 
be  conformed  to  His  death — to  mortify  her  members 
which  are  on  the  earth — to  take  up  the  cross  daily, 
and  follow  Him.  Her  relationship  with  Christ  is 
founded  upon  blood,  and  the  manifestation  of  the 
power  of  that  relationship  will  necessarily  involve 
death  to  nature.  "And  ye  are  complete  in  Him, 
which  is  the  head  of  all  principality  and  power ;  in 
whom  also  ye  are  circumcised  with  the  circumcision 
made  without  hands,  in  putting  off  the  body  of  the 
sins  of  the  flesh  by  the  circumcision  of  Christ! 
buried  with  Him  in  baptism,  wherein  also  ye  are 
risen  with  Him  through  the  faith  of  the  operation  of 
God,  who  hath  raised  Him  from  the  dead/'  (Col. 
ii.  10-12.) 

Such  is  the  doctrine  as  to  the  Church's  place  with 
Christ, — a  doctrine  replete  with  the  richest  privileges 
for  the  Church,  and  each  member  thereof.  Every- 
thing, in  short,  is  involved: — the  perfect  remission 
of  sin,  divine  righteousness,  complete  acceptance, 
everlasting  securit}r,  full  fellowship  with  Christ  in  all 
His  glory.  "Ye  are  complete  in  Him."  This,  surely, 
comprehends  everything.  What  could  be  added  to 
one  who  is  "complete"?  Could  "philosophy," 
"the  tradition  of  men,"  "the  rudiments  of  the 
world,"  "meats,  drinks,  holy  days,  new  moons,  or 
Sabbaths  "  ?  "  Touch  not ' '  this,  ' '  taste  not ' '  that, 
"handle  not"  the  other,  "the  commandments  and 
doctrines  of  men,"  "days,  and  months,  and  times, 
and  years,"— could  any  of  these  things,  or  all  of 


72  EXODUS. 

them  put  together,  add  a  single  jot  or  tittle  to  one 
whom  God  has  pronounced  ' c  complete ' '  ?  We  might 
just  as  well  inquire  if  man  could  have  gone  forth 
upon  the  fair  creation  of  God,  at  the  close  of  the 
six  days'  work,  to  give  the  finishing  touch  to  that 
which  God  had  pronounced  "very  good." 

Nor  is  this  completeness  to  be,  by  any  means, 
viewed  as  a  matter  of  attainment, — some  point  which 
we  have  not  yet  reached,  but  after  which  wre  must 
diligently  strive,  and  of  the  possession  of  which  we 
cannot  be  sure  until  we  lie  upon  a  bed  of  death,  or 
stand  before  a  throne  of  judgment.  It  is  the  portion 
of  the  feeblest,  the  most  inexperienced,  the  most 
unlettered  child  of  God.  The  very  weakest  saint  is 
included  in  the  apostolic  "?/e."  All  the  people  of 
God  "are-  complete  in  Christ."  The  apostle  does 
not  say,  Ye  will  be,  Ye  may  be,  Hope  that  }Te  may 
be,  Pray  that  ye  may  be :  no ;  lie,  by  the  Holy 
Ghost,  states,  in  the  most  absolute  and  unqualified 
manner,  that  uye  are  complete."  This  is  the  true 
Christian  starting-post ;  and  for  man  to  make  a  goal 
of  what  Gocl  makes  a  starting-post,  is  to  upset 
everything. 

But,  then,  some  will  ask,  Have  we  no  sin,  no  fail- 
ure, no  imperfection  ?  Assuredly  we  have.  "If  we 
say  that  we  have  no  sin,  we  deceive  ourselves,  and 
the  truth  is  not  in  us."  (1  John  i.  8.)  We  have  sin 
in  us,  but  no  sin  on  us.  Moreover,  our  standing  is 
not  in  self,  but  in  Christ.  It  is  "m  Him"  we  "are 
complete."  God  sees  the  believer  in  Christ,  with 
Christ,  and  as  Christ.  This  is  his  changeless  concli- 


CHAPTER    IV.  73 

tion — his  everlasting  standing.  "The  body  of  the 
sins  of  the  flesh"  is  "put  off  by  the  circumcision  of 
Christ."  The  believer  is  not  in  the  flesh,  though  the 
flesh  is  in  him.  He  is  united  to  Christ  in  the  power 
of  a  new  and  an  endless  life,  and  that  life  is  insep- 
arably connected  with  divine  righteousness  in  which 
the  believer  stands  before  God.  The  Lord  Jesus  has 
put  away  everything  that  was  against  the  believer, 
and  He  has  brought  him  nigh  to  God,  in  the  self- 
same favor  as  that  which  He  Himself  enjoys.  In  a 
word,  Christ  is  his  righteousness.  This  settles  every 
question,  answers  every  objection,  silences  every 
doubt.  "Both  He  that  sanctifieth  and  they  who  are 
sanctified  are  all  of  one."  (Heb.  ii.  ^l.) 

The  foregoing  line  of  truth  has  flowed  out  of  the 
deeply  interesting  type  presented  to  us  in  the  rela- 
tionship between  Moses  and  Zipporah.  We  must 
now  hasten  to  close  this  section,  and  take  our  leave, 
for  the  present,  of  "the  backside  of  the  desert," 
though  not  of  its  deep  lessons  and  holy  impressions, 
so  essential  to  every  servant  of  Christ,  and  every 
messenger  of  the  living  God.  All  who  would  serve 
effectually,  either  in  the  important  work  of  evangeli- 
zation, or  in  the  varied  ministries  of  the  house  of 
God — which  is  the  Church — will  need  to  imbibe  the 
precious  instructions  which  Moses  received  at  the 
foot  of  Mount  Horeb,  and  "by  the  way  in  the  inn." 

Were  these  things  properly  attended  to,  we  should 
not  have  so  many  running  unsent — so  many  rushing 
into  spheres  of  ministry  for  which  they  were  never 
designed.  Let  each  one  who  stands  up  to  preach, 


74  EXODUS. 

or  teach,  or  exhort,  or  serve  in  any  way,  seriously 
inquire  if,  indeed,  he  be  fitted  and  taught  and  sent 
of  God.  If  not,  his  work  will  neither  be  owned  of 
God  nor  blessed  to  men,  and  the  sooner  he  ceases, 
the  better  for  himself  and  for  those  upon  whom  he 
has  been  imposing  the  heavy  burden  of  hearkening 
to  him.  Neither  a  humanly- appointed  nor  a  self- 
appointed  ministry  will  ever  suit  within  the  hallowed 
precincts  of  the  Church  of  God.  All  must  be  di- 
vinely gifted,  divinely  taught,  and  divinely  sent. 

"  And  the  Lord  said  to  Aaron,  'Go  into  the  wil- 
derness to  meet  Moses.'  And  he  went  and  met  him 
in  the  mount  of  God,  and  kissed  him.  And  Moses 
told  Aaron  all  £he  words  of  the  Lord  who  had  sent 
him,  and  all  the  signs  which  He  had  commanded 
him."  This  was  a  fair  and  beauteous  scene — a  scene 
of  sweet  brotherly  love  and  union — a  scene  which 
stands  in  marked  contrast  with  many  of  those  scenes 
which  were  afterwards  enacted  in  the  wilderness- 
career  of  these  two  men.  Forty  years  of  wilderness 
life  are  sure  to  make  great  changes  in  men  and 
things.  Yet  it  is  sweet  to  dwell  upon  those  early 
days  of  one's  Christian  course,  before  the  stern 
realities  of  desert  life  had,  in  any  measure,  checked 
the  gush  of  warm  and  generous  affections, — before 
deceit  and  corruption  and  hypocrisy  had  well-nigh 
dried  up  the  springs  of  the  heart's  confidence,  and 
placed  the  whole  moral  being  beneath  the  chilling 
influences  of  a  suspicious  disposition. 

That  such  results  have  been  produced,  in  many 
cases,  by  years  of  experience,  is,  alas!  too  true. 


CHAPTER    IV.  75 

Happy  is  he  who,  though  his  eyes  have  been  opened 
to  see  nature  in  a  clearer  light  than  that  which  this 
world  supplies,  can  nevertheless  serve  his  generation 
by  the  energy  of  that  grace  which  flows  forth  from 
the  bosom  of  God.  Who  ever  knew  the  depths  and 
windings  of  the  human  heart  as  Jesus  knew  them  ? 

o 

"He  knew  all,  and  needed  not  that  any  should  tes- 
tify of  man  ;  for  he  knew  what  was  in  man."  (John 
ii.  24,  25.)  So  well  did  He  know  man,  that  He 
could  not  commit  Himself  unto  him.  He  could  not 
accredit  man's  professions,  or  endorse  his  preten- 
sions. And  }ret,  who  so  gracious  as  He  ?  Who  so 
loving,  so  tender,  so  compassionate,  so  sympathiz- 
ing ?  With  a  heart  that  understood  all,  He  could 
feel  for  all.  He  did  not  suffer  His  perfect  knowledge 
of  human  worthlessness  to  keep  Him  aloof  from  hu- 
man need.  "  He  went  about  doing  good."  Why? 
Was  it  because  He  imagined  that  all  those  who 
flocked  around  Him  were  real  ?  No ;  but  "because 
God  was  with  Him."  (Acts  x.  38.)  This  is  our  ex- 
ample. Let  us  follow  it,  though,  in  doing  so,  we 
shall  have  to  trample  on  self  and  all  its  interests,  at 
every  step  of  the  way. 

Who  would  desire  that  wisdom,  that  knowledge  of 
nature,  that  experience,  which  only  lead  men  to  en- 
sconce themselves  within  the  inclosures  of  a  hard- 
hearted selfishness,  from  which  they  look  forth  with 
an  eye  of  dark  suspicion  upon  everybody  ?  Surely, 
such  a  result  could  never  follow  from  aught  of  a 
heavenly  or  excellent  nature.  God  gives  wisdom ; 
but  it  is  not  a  wisdom  which  locks  the  heart  against 


76  EXODUS. 

all  the  appeals  of  human  need  and  misery.  He  gives 
a  knowledge  of  nature ;  but  it  is  not  a  knowledge 
which  causes  us  to  grasp  with  selfish  eagerness  that 
which  we,  falsely,  call  "our  own."  He  gives  expe- 
rience ;  but  it  is  not  an  experience  which  results  in 
suspecting  everybody  except  myself.  If  I  am  walk- 
ing in  the  footprints  of  Jesus,  if  I  am  imbibing,  and 
therefore  manifesting,  His  excellent  spirit,  if,  in 
short,  I  can  sa}^,  "To  me  to  live  is  Christ;"  then, 
while  I  walk  through  the  world,  with  a  knowledge  of 
what  the  world  is ;  while  I  come  in  contact  with 
man,  with  a  knowledge  of  wrhat  I  am  to  expect  from 
him ;  I  am  able,  through  grace,  to  manifest  Christ 
in  the  midst  of  it  all.  The  springs  which  move  me, 
and  the  objects  which  animate  me,  are  all  above, 
where  He  is,  who  is  "the  same  yesterday,  and  to- 
day, and  forever."  (Heb.  xiii.  8.)  It  was  this  which 
sustained  the  heart  of  that  beloved  and  honored 
servant,  whose  histoiy,  even  so  far,  has  furnished  us 
with  such  deep  and  solid  instruction.  It  was  this 
which  carried  him  through  the  trying  and  varied 
scenes  of  his  wilderness  course.  And  we  may  safely 
assert  that,  at  the  close  of  all,  notwithstanding  the 
trial  and  exercise  of  forty  years,  Moses  could  em- 
brace his  brother  when  he  stood  on  Mount  Hor,  with 
the  same  warmth  as  he  had  when  first  he  met  him 
"in  the  mount  of  God."  True,  the  two  occasions 
were  very  different.  At  "the  mount  of  God"  they 
met  and  embraced,  and  started  together  on  their 
divinely-appointed  mission.  Upon  "Mount  Hor" 
they  met  by  the  commandment  of  Jehovah,  in  order 


CHAPTER    IV.  77 

that  Moses  might  strip  his  brother  of  his  priestly 
robes,  and  see  him  gathered  to  his  fathers,  because 
of  an  error  in  which  he  himself  had  participated. 
(How  solemn  !  How  touching ! )  Circumstances  vary : 
men  turn  away  from  one  ;  but  with  God  "is  no  vari- 
ableness, neither  shadow  of  turning. ' '  (James  i.  17. ) 
"And  Moses  and  Aaron  went  and  gathered  to- 
gether all  the  elders  of  the  children  of  Israel ;  and 
Aaron  spake  all  the  words  which  the  Lord  had  spok- 
en unto  Moses,  and  did  the  signs  in  the  sight  of  the 
people.  And  the  people  believed ;  and  when  they 
heard  that  the  Lord  had  visited  the  children  of  Israel, 
and  that  He  had  looked  upon  their  affliction,  then 
thej-  bowed  their  heads  and  worshiped."  (Yer.  29- 
31.)  When  God  works,  every  barrier  must  give 
way.  Moses  had  said,  "The  people  will  not  believe 
me."  But  the  question  was  not  as  to  whether  they 
would  believe  him,  but  whether  they  would  believe 
God.  When  a  man  is  enabled  to  view  himself  simply 
as  the  messenger  of  God,  he  may  feel  quite  at  ease 
as  to  the  reception  of  his  message.  It  does  not  de- 
tract, in  the  smallest  degree,  from  his  tender  and 
affectionate  solicitude  in  reference  to  those  whom  he 
addresses.  Quite  the  contrary ;  but  it  preserves 
him  from  that  inordinate  anxiety  of  spirit  which  can 
only  tend  to  unfit  him  for  calm,  elevated,  steady 
testimony.  The  messenger  of  God  should  ever  re- 
member whose  message  he  bears.  When  Zacharias 
said  to  the  angel, c '  Whereby  shall  I  know  this  ? ' '  was 
the  latter  perturbed  by  the  question?  Not  in  the 
least.  His  calm,  dignified  reply  was,  "I  am  Gabriel, 


78  EXODUS. 

that  stand  in  the  presence  of  God,  and  am  sent  to 
speak  unto  thee,  and  to  show  thee  these  glad 
tidings."  (Luke  i.  18,  19.)  The  angel  rises  before 
the  doubting  mortal,  with  a  keen  and  exquisite 
sense  of  the  dignity  of  his  message.  It  is  as  if  he 
would  say,  How  can  you  doubt,  when  a  messenger 
has  actually  been  dispatched  from  the  very  presence- 
chamber  of  the  Majesty  of  heaven  ?  Thus  should 
every  messenger  of  God,  in  his  measure,  go  forth, 
and,  in  this  spirit,  deliver  his  message. 


CHAPTERS  V  &  VI. 

THE  effect  of  the  first  appeal  to  Pharaoh  seemed 
aught  but  encouraging.  The  thought  of  losing 
Israel  made  him  clutch  them  with  greater  eagerness 
and  watch  them  with  greater  vigilance;  Whenever 
Satan's  power  becomes  narrowed  to  a  point,  his  rage 
increases.  Thus  it  is  here.  The  furnace  is  about 
to  be  quenched  by  the  hand  of  redeeming  love  ;  but 
ere  it  is,  it  blazes  forth  with  greater  fierceness  and 
intensity.  The  devil  does  not  like  to  let  go  any  one 
whom  he  has  had  in  his  terrible  grasp.  He  is  "a 
strong  man  armed,"  and  while  he  "keepeth  his 
palace,  his  goods  are  in  peace."  But,  blessed  be. 
God,  there  is  "a  stronger  than  he,"  who  has  taken 
from  him  "his  armor  wherein  he  trusted,"  and 
divided  the  spoils  among  the  favored  objects  of  His 
everlasting  love. 

"And  afterward,  Moses  and  Aaron  went  in,  and 


CHAPTERS    V  &  VI.  79 

told  Pharaoh, — 'Thus  saith  the  Lord  God  of  Israel, 
Let  My  people,  go,  that  they  may  hold  a  feast  unto 
Me  in  the  wilderness.'"  (Chap.  v.  1.)  Such  was 
Jehovah's  message  to  Pharaoh.  He  claimed  full  de- 
liverance for  the  people  on  the  ground  of  their  being 
His,  and  in  order  that  they  might  hold  a  feast  unto 
Him  in  the  wilderness.  Nothing  can  ever  satisfy 
God  in  reference  to  His  elect,  hut  their  entire  eman- 
cipation from  the  }7oke  of  bondage.  "  Loose  him 
and  let  him  go"  is  really  the  grand  motto  in  God's 
gracious  dealings  with  those  who,  though  held  in 
bondage  by  Satan,  are  nevertheless  the  objects  of 
His  eternal  love. 

When  we  contemplate  Israel  amid  the  brick-kilns 
of  Egypt,  we  behold  a  graphic  figure  of  the  condition 
of  every  child  of  Adam  by  nature.  There  they  were, 
crushed  beneath  the  enemy's  galling  yoke,  and  hav- 
ing no  power  to  deliver  themselves.  The  mere  men- 
tion of  the  word  liberty  only  caused  the  oppressor  to 
bind  his  captives  with  a  stronger  fetter,  and  to  lade 
them  with  a  still  more  grievous  burden.  It  was  ab- 
solutely necessary  that  deliverance  should  come  from 
without.  But  from  whence  was  it  to  come  !  Where 
were  the  resources  to  pay  their  ransom  ?  or  where 
was  the  power  to  break  their  chains  ?  And  even  weye 
there  both  the  one  and  the  other,  where  was  the  ivill? 
Who  would  take  the  trouble  of  delivering  them  ? 
Alas  !  there  was  no  hope,  either  within  or  around. 
They  had  only  to  look  up.  Their  refuge  was  in  God. 
He  had  both  the  power  and  the  will.  He  could  ac- 
complish a  redemption  both  by  price  and  by  power. 


80  EXODUS. 

Iii  Jehovah,  and  in  Him  alone,  was  there  salvation 
for  ruined  and  oppressed  Israel. 

Thus  it  is  in  every  case.  "Neither  is  there  salva- 
tion in  any  other  ;  for  there  is  none  other  name  under 
heaven,  given  among  men,  whereby  we  must  be 
saved."  (Acts  iv.  12.)  The  sinner  is  in  the  hands 
of  one  who  rules  him  with  despotic  power.  He  is 
"sold  under  sin" — "led  captive  by  Satan  at  his 
will"  fast  bound  in  the  fetters  of  lust,  passion, 
and  temper, — c '  without  strength, "  "  without  hope, ' ' 
"without  God."  Such  is  the  sinner's  condition. 
How,  then,  can  he  help  himself  ?  What  can  he  do  ? 
He  is  the  slave  of  another,  and  everything  tie  does 
is  done  in  the  capacity  of  a  slave.  His  thoughts,  his 
words,  his  acts,  are  the  thoughts,  words,  and  acts  of 
a  slave.  Yea,  though  he  should  weep  and  sigh  for 
emancipation,  his  very  tears  and  sighs  are  the  mel- 
ancholy proofs  of  his  slavery.  He  may  struggle  for 
freedom  ;  but  his  very  struggle,  though  it  evinces  a 
desire  for  liberty,  is  the  positive  declaration  of  his 
bondage. 

Nor  is  it  merely  a  question  of  the  sinner's  condi- 
tion; his  very  nature  is  radically  corrupt — wholly 
under  the  power  of  Satan.  Hence  he  not  only  needs 
to  be  introduced  into  a  new  condition,  but  also  to 
be  endowed  with. a  new  nature.  The  nature  and  the 
condition  go  together.  If  it  were  possible  for  the 
sinner  to  better  his  condition,  what  would  it  avail  so 
long  as  his  nature  was  irrecoverable  bad  ?  A  noble- 
man might  take  a  beggar  off  the  streets  and  adopt 
him  ;  he  might  endow  him  with  a  noble's  wealth, 


CHAPTERS    V  &  VI.  81 

and  set  him  in  a  noble's  position  ;  but  he  could  not 
impart  to  him  nobility  of  nature  ;  and  thus  the  nature 
of  a  beggarman  would  never  be  at  home  in  the  con- 
dition of  a  nobleman.  There  must  be  a  nature  to 
suit  the  condition ;  and  there  must  be  a  condition 
to  suit  the  capacity,  the  desires,  the  affections,  and 
the  tendencies  of  the  nature. 

Now,  in  the  gospel  of  the  grace  of  God,  we  are 
taught  that  the  believer  is  introduced  into  an  entirely 
new  condition  ;  that  he  is  no  longer  viewed  as  in  his 
former  state  of  guilt  and  condemnation,  but  as  in  a 
state  of  perfect  and  everlasting  justification;  that 
the  condition  in  which  God  now  sees  him  is  not  only 
one  of  full  pardon,  but  it  is  such  that  infinite  holi- 
ness cannot  find  so  much  as  a  single  stain.  He  has 
been  taken  out  of  his  former  condition  of  guilt,  and 
placed  absolutely  and  eternally  in  a  new  condition 
of  unspotted  righteousness.  It  is  not,  by  any  means, 
that  his  old  condition  is  improved.  This  is  utterly 
impossible.  ' c  That  which  is  crooked  cannot  be  made 
straight."  "Can  the  Ethiopian  change  his  skin,  or 
the  leopard  his  spots  ?  "  Nothing  can  be  more  op- 
posed to  the  fundamental  truth  of  the  gospel  than 
the  theory  of  a  gradual  improvement  in  the  sinner's 
condition.  He  is  born  in  a  certain  condition,  and 
until  he  is  "born  again"  lip  cannot  be  in  any  other. 
He  may  try  to  improve,  he  may  resolve  to  be  better 
for  the  future — to  "turn  over  a  new  leaf" — to  live  a 
different  sort  of  life ;  but,  all  the  while,  he  has  not 
moved  a  single  hair's  breadth  out  of  his  real  condi- 
tion as  a  sinner.  He  may  become  "religious,"  as  it 


82  EXODUS. 

is  called, — he  may  try  to  pray,  lie  may  clilligently 
attend  to  ordinances,  and  exhibit  an  appearance  of 
moral  reform ;  but  none  of  these  things  can,  in  the 
smallest  degree,  affect  his  positive  condition  before 
God. 

The  case  is  precisely  similar  as  to  the  question  of 
nature.  How  can  a  man  alter  his  nature  ?  He  may 
make  it  undergo  a  process,  he  may  try  to  subdue  it 
— to  place  it  under  discipline  ;  but  it  is  nature  still. 
"That  which  is  born  of  the  flesh  is  flesh."  There 
must  be  a  new  nature  as  well  as  a  new  condition. 
And  how  is  this  to  be  had  ?  By  believing  God's 
testimony  concerning  His  Son.  "As  many  as  re- 
ceived Him,  to  them  gave  He  power  to  become  the 
sons  of  God,  even  to  them  that  believe  on  His  name : 
which  were  born,  not  of  blood,  nor  of  the  will  of  the 
flesh,  nor  of  the  will  of  man,  but  of  God."  (John  i. 
12,  13.)  Here  we  learn  that  those  who  believe  on 
the  name  of  the  only  begotten  Son  of  God,  have  the 
right  or  privilege  of  being  sons  of  God.  They  are 
made  partakers  of  a  new  nature :  they  have  gotten 
eternal  life. — "He  that  believeth  on  the  Son  hath 
everlasting  life"  (John  iii.  36.). — "Verily,  verily, 
I  say  unto  yo u,  He  that  heareth  My  word,  and  be- 
lieveth on  Him  that  sent  Me,  hath  everlasting  life, 
and  shall  not  come  into  condemnation ;  but  is  passed 
from  death  unto  life"  (John  v.  24.).— "And  this  is 
life  eternal,  that  they  might  know  Thee,  the  only 
true  God,  and  Jesus  Christ,  whom  Thou  hast  sent" 
(John  xvii.  3.). — "And  this  is  the  record,  that  God 
hath  given  to  us  eternal  life,  and  this  life  is  in  His 


CHAPTERS   V  &  VI.  83 

Son.     He  that  hath  the  Son  liatli  life.''  (1  John  v. 
11,  12.) 

Such  is  the  plain  doctrine  of  the  Word  in  reference 
to  the  momentous  questions  of  condition  and  nature. 
But  on  what  is  all  this  founded  ?  How  is  the  be- 
liever introduced  into  a  condition  of  divine  right- 
eousness and  made  partaker  of  the  divine  nature  ? 
It  all  rests  on  the  great  truth  that  ".JESUS  DIED 
AND  ROSE  AGAIN."  That  blessed  One  left  the 
bosom  of  eternal  1<  \re,  the  throne  of  glory,  the  man- 
sions of  unfading  light ;  came  down  into  this  world 
of  guilt  and  woe ;  took  upon  Him  the  likeness  of 
sinful  flesh ;  and,  having  perfectly  exhibited  and 
perfectly  glorified  God  in  all  the  movements  of  His 
blessed  life  here  below,  He  died  upon  the  cross, 
under  the  full  weight  of  His  people's  transgressions. 
By  so  doing,  He  divinely  met  all  that  was  or  could 
be  against  us.  He  magnified  the  law  and  made  it 
honorable  ;  and,  having  done  so,  He  became  a  curse 
by  hanging  on  the  tree.  Every  claim  was  met,  every 
enemy  silenced,  every  obstacle  removed.  "Mercy 
and  truth  are  met  together  ;  righteousness  and  peace 
have  kissed  each  other."  Infinite  justice  was  satis- 
fied, and  infinite  love  can  flow,  in  all  its  soothing 
and  refreshing  virtues,  into  the  broken  heart  of  the 
sinner ;  while,  at  the  same  time,  the  cleansing  and 
atoning  stream  that  flowed  from  the  pierced  side  of 
a  crucified  Christ,  perfectly  meets  all  the  cravings  of 
a  guilty  and  convicted  conscience.  The  Lord  Jesus, 
on  the  cross,  stood  in  our  place.  He  was  our  repre- 
sentative. He  died,  c '  the  j ust  for  the  unj ust. "  "He 


84  EXODUS. 

was  made  sin  for  us."  (2  Cor.  v.  21 ;  1  Peter  iii.  18.) 
He  died  the  sinner's  death,  was  buried,  and  rose 
again,  having  accomplished  all.  Hence,  there  is  ab- 
solutely nothing  against  the  believer.  He  is  linked 
with  Christ,  and  stands  in  the  same  condition  of 
righteousness.  "  As  He  is,  so  are  we  in  this  world." 
(1  Johniv.  17.) 

This  gives  settled  peace  to  the  conscience.  If  I 
am  no  longer  in  a  condition  of  guilt,  but  in  a  condi- 
tion of  justification, — if  God  only  sees  me  in  Christ 
and  as  Christ,  then,  clearly,  my  portion  is  perfect 
peace.  "Being  justified  by  faith,  we  have  peace 
with  God  through  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ."  (Rom.  v. 
1.)  The  blood  of  the  Lamb  has  canceled  all  the 
believer's  guilt, — blotted  out  his  heavy  debt,  and 
given  him  a  perfectly  blank  page,  in  the  presence  of 
that  holiness  which  "cannot  look  upon  sin." 

But  the  believer  has  not  merely  found  peace  with 
God  ;  he  is  made  a  child  pf  God,  so  that  he  can  taste 
the  sweetness  of  communion  with  the  Father  and  the 
Son,  through  the  power  of  the  Holy  Ghost.  The 
cross  is  to  be  viewed  in  two  ways :  first,  as  satisfy- 
ing God's  claims ;  secondly,  as  expressing  God's 
affections.  If  I  look  at  my  sins  in  connection  with 
the  claims  of  God  as  a  Judge,  I  find,  in  the  cross, 
a  perfect  settlement  of  those  claims.  God,  as  a 
Judge,  has  been  divinely  satisfied — yea,  glorified,  in 
the  cross.  But  there  is  more  than  this.  God  had 
affections  as  well  as  claims ;  and,  in  the  cross  of  the 
Lord  Jesus  Christ,  all  those  affections  are  sweetly 
and  touchingly  told  out  into  the  sinner's  ear ;  while, 


CHAPTERS    V  &  VI.  85 

at  the  same  time,  he  is  made  partaker  of  a  new 
nature  -which  is  capable  of  enjoying  those  affections 
and  having  fellowship  with  the  heart  from  which  they 
flow.  "For  Christ  also  hath  once  suffered  for  sins, 
the  just  for  the  unjust,  that  He  might  bring  us  to 
God."  (1  Peter  iii.  18.)  Thus,  we  are  not  only 
brought  into  a  condition,  but  unto  a  Person,  even 
God  Himself,  and  we  are  endowed  with  a  nature 
which  can  delight  in  Him. — "  We  also  joy  in  God, 
through  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  by  whom  we  have 
now  received  the  reconciliation  (margin)."  (Rom. 
v.  11.) 

What  force  and  beauty,  therefore,  can  we  sec  in 
those  emancipating  words,  "Let  My  people  go,  that 
they  may  hold  a  feast  unto  Me  in  the  wilderness." 
"The  Spirit  of  the  Lord  is  upon  Me,  because  He 
hath  anointed  Me  to  preach  the  gospel ;  He  hath 
sent  Me  to  heal  the  broken-hearted,  to  preach  de- 
liverance to  the  captives,  and  recovering  of  sight  to 
the  blind,  to  set  at  liberty  them  that  are  bruised." 
(Luke  iv.  18.)  The  glad  tidings  of  the  gospel  an- 
nounce full  deliverance  from  every  }~oke  of  bondage. 
Peace  and  liberty  are  the  boons  which  that  gospel 
bestows  on  all  who  believe  it,  as  God  has  declared  it. 

And  mark,  it  is  "that  they  may  hold  a  feast  to 
Me."  If  they  were  to  get  done  with  Pharaoh,  it 
was  that  they  might  begin  with  God.  This  was  a 
great  change.  Instead  of  toiling  under  Pharaoh's 
taskmasters,  they  were  to  feast  in  company  with  Je- 
hovah ;  and,  although  they  were  to  pass  from  Egypt 
into  the  wilderness,  still  the  divine  presence  was  to 


86  EXODUS. 

accompany  them  ;  and  if  the  wilderness  was  rough 
and  dreary,  it  was  the  way  to  the  land  of  Canaan. 
The  divine  purpose  was,  that  they  should  hold  a 
feast  unto  the  Lord  in  the  wilderness,  and  in  order 
to  do  this,  they  should  be  "let  go"  out  of  Egypt. 

However,  Pharaoh  was  in  no  wise  disposed  to  yield 
obedience  to  the  divine  mandate.  "Who  is  the 
Lord,"  said  he,  "that  I  should  obey  His  voice  to  let 
Israel  go  ?  I  know  not  the  Lord,  neither  will  I  let 
Israel  go."  (Chap.  v.  2.)  Pharaoh  most  truly  ex- 
pressed, in  these  words,  his  real  condition.  His 
condition  was  one  of  ignorance  and  consequent  dis- 
obedience. Both  go  together.  If  God  be  not  known ,  • 
He  cannot  be  obeyed  ;  for  obedience  is  ever  founded 
upon  knowledge.  When  the  soul  is  blessed  with  the 
knowledge  of  God,  it  finds  this  knowledge  to  be  life 
(John  xvii.  3.),  and  life  is  power;  and  when  I  get 
power,  I  can  act.  It  is  obvious  that  one  cannot  act 
without  life ;  and  therefore  it  is  most  unintelligent 
to  set  people  upon  doing  certain  things  in  order  to 
get  that  by  which  alone  they  can  do  anything. 

But  Pharaoh  was  as  ignorant  of  himself  as  he  was 
of  the  Lord.  He  did  not  know  that  he  was  a  poor, 
vile  worm  of  the  earth,  and  that  he  had  been  raised 
up  for  the  express  purpose  of  making  known  the 
glory  of  the  very  One  whom  he  said  he  knew  not. 
(Exod.  ix.  16;  Rom.  ix.  17.)  "And  they  said, 
'The  God  of  the  Hebrews  has  met  with  us:  let  us 
go,  we  pray  thee,  three  days'  journey  into  the  desert, 
and  sacrifice  unto  the  Lord  our  God ;  lest  He  fall 
upon  us  with  pestilence  or  with  the  sword.'  And 


CHAPTERS    V  &  VI.  87 

the  king  of  Egypt  said  unto  them,  'Wherefore  do 
3re,  Moses  and  Aaron,  let  the  people  from  their 

work  ?  Get  you  unto  your  burdens let 

there  more  work  be  laid  upon  the  men,  that  they 
may  labor  therein ;  and  let  them  not  regard  vain 
words.'"  (Ver.  3-9.) 

What  a  development  of  the  secret  springs  of  the 
human  heart  we  have  here  !  What  complete  incom- 
petency  to  enter  into  the  things  of  God  !  All  the 
divine  titles  and  the  divine  revelations  were,  in  Pha- 
raoh's estimation,  ; '  vain  words. ' '  What  did  he  know 
or  care  about  "three  days'  journey  into  the  wilder- 
'ness,"  or  "a  feast  to  Jehovah"?  How  could  he 
understand  the  need  of  such  a  journey,  or  the  nature 
or  object  of  such  a  feast  ?  Impossible.  He  could 
understand  burden-bearing  and  brick-making  ;  these 
things  had  an  air  of  reality  about  them,  in  his  judg- 
ment; but  as  to  aught  of  God,  His  service,  or  His 
worship,  lie  could  only  regard  it  in  the  light  of  an 
idle  chimera,  devised  by  those  who  only  wanted  an 
excuse  to  make  their  escape  from  the  stern  realities 
of  actual  life. 

Thus  has  it  too  often  been  with  the  wise  and  great 
of  this  world.  They  have  ever  been  the  most  for- 
ward to  write  folly  and  vanity  upon  the  divine  tes- 
timonies. Hearken,  for  example,  to  the  estimate 
which  the  "most  noble  Festus"  formed  of  the  grand 
question  at  issue  between  Paul  and  the  Jews: — 
uThey  had  certain  questions  against  him  of  their 
own  superstition,  and  of  one  Jesus,  which  was  dead, 
whom  Paul  affirmed  to  be  alive."  (Acts  xxv.  19.) 


88  EXODUS. 

Alas  !  how  little  he  knew  what  he  was  saying !  How 
little  he  knew  what  was  involved  in  the  question,  as 
to  whether  "Jesus"  was  "dead"  or  "alive"  !  He 
thought  not  of  the  solemn  bearing  of  that  momen- 
tous question  upon  himself  and  his  friends,  Agrippa 
and  Bernice  ;  but  that  did  not  alter  the  matter  ;  he 
and  they  know  somewhat  more  about  it  now,  though 
in  their  passing  moment  of  earthly  glory  they  re- 
garded it  as  a  superstitious  question,  wholly  beneath 
the  notice  of  men  of  common  sense,  and  only  fit  to 
occupy  the  disordered  brain  of  visionary  enthusiasts. 
Yes  ;  the  stupendous  question  which  fixes  the  destiny 
of  every  child  of  Adam — on  which  is  founded  the 
present  and  everlasting  condition  of  the  Church  and 
the  world — which  stands  connected  with  all  the  di- 
vine counsels, — this  question  was,  in-  the  judgment 
of  Festus,  a  vain  superstition. 

Thus  was  it  in  Pharaoh's  case.  He  knew  nothing 
of  "the  Lord  God  of  the  Hebrews" — the  great  "I 
AM,"  and  hence  he  regarded  all  that  Moses  and 
Aaron  had  said  to  him,  in  reference  to  doing  sacri- 
fice to  God,  as  "vain  words."  The  things  of  God 
must  ever  seem  vain,  profitless,  and  unmeaning  to 
the  unsanctified  mind  of  man.  His  name  may  be 
made  use  of  as  part  of  the  flippant  phraseology  of  a 
cold  and  formal  religiousness ;  but  He  Himself  is 
not  known.  His  precious  name,  which,  to  a  be- 
liever's heart,  has  wrapped  up  in  it  all  that  he  can 
possibly  need  or  desire,  has  no  significancy,  no 
power,  no  virtue  for  an  unbeliever.  All,  therefore, 
connected  with  God — His  words,  His  counsels,  His 


CHAPTERS    V  &  VI.  89 

thoughts,  His  ways, — everything,  in  short,  that  treats 
of  or  refers  to  Him,  is  regarded  as  "vain  words." 

However,  the  time  is  rapidly  approaching  when  it 
will  not  be  thus.  The  judgment-seat  of  Christ,  the 
terrors  of  the  world  to  come,  the  surges  of  the  lake 
of  fire,  will  not  be  "vain  words."  Assuredly  not; 
and  it  should  be  the  great  aim  of  all  who,  through 
grace,  believe  them  now  to  be  realities,  to  press  them 
upon  the  consciences  of  those  who,  like  Pharaoh, 
regard  the  making  of  bricks  as  the  only  thing  worth 
thinking  about — the  only  thing  that  can  be  called 
real  and  solid. 

Alas  !  that  even  Christians  should  so  frequently 
be  found  living  in  the  region  of  sight — the  region  of 
earth — the  region  of  nature — as  to  lose  the  deep, 
abiding,  influential  sense  of  the  reality  of  divine  and 
heavenly  things.  We  want  to  live  more  in  the  region 
of  faith — the  region  of  heaven — the  region  of  the 
"new  creation."  Then  we  should  see  things  as  God 
sees  them,  think  about  them  as  He  thinks  ;  and  our 
whole  course  and  character  would  be  more  elevated, 
more  disinterested,  more  thoroughly  separated  from 
earth  and  earthly  things. 

But  Moses'  sorest  trial  did  not  arise  from  Pha- 
raoh's judgment  about  his  mission.  The  true  and 
whole-hearted  servant  of  Christ  must  ever  expect  to 
be  looked  on,  by  the  men  of  this  world,  as  a  mere 
visionary  enthusiast.  The  point  of  view  from  which 
they  contemplate  him  is  such  as  to  lead  us  to  look 
for  this  judgment  and  none  other.  The  more  faith- 
ful he  is  to  his  heavenly  Master,  the  more  he  walks 


90  EXODUS. 

iii  His  footsteps,  the  more  conformed  he  is  to  His 
image,  the  more  likely  he  is  to  be  considered,  by  the 
sons  of  earth,  as  one  "beside  himself."  This, 
therefore,  should  neither  disappoint  nor  discourage 
him.  But  then  it  is  a  far  more  painful  thing  when 
his  service  and  testimony  are  misunderstood,  un- 
heeded, or  rejected  by  those  who  are  themselves  the 
specific  objects  thereof.  When  such  is  the  case,  he 
needs  to  be  much  writh  God,  much  in  the  secret  of 
His  mind,  much  in  the  power  of  communion,  to 
have  his  spirit  sustained  in  the  abiding  reality  of  his 
path  and  service.  Under  such  trying  circumstances, 
if  one  be  not  fully  persuaded  of  the  divine  commis- 
sion, and  conscious  of  the  divine  presence,  he  will 
be  almost  sure  to  break  down. 

Had  not  Moses  been  thus  upheld,  his  heart  must 
have  utterly  failed  him  when  the  augmented  pressure 
of  Pharaoh's  power  elicited  from  the  officers  of  the 
children  of  Israel  such  desponding  and  depressing 
words  as  these, — "The  Lord  look  upon  you,  and 
judge;  because  ye  have  made  our  savor  to  be  ab- 
horred in  the  eyes  of  Pharaoh,  and  in  the  eyes  of 
his  servants,  to  put  a  sword  in  their  hand  to  slay 
us."  This  was  gloomy  enough;  and  Moses  felt  it 
so,  for  "he  returned  unto  the  Lord,  and  said,  'Lord, 
wherefore  hast  Thou  so  evil  entreated  this  people  ? 
Why  is  it  that  Thou  hast  sent  me  ?  For  since  I 
came  unto  Pharaoh  to  speak  in  Thy  name,  he  hath 
done  evil  to  this  people  ;  neither  hast  Thou  delivered 
Thy  people  at  all.'  '  The  aspect  of  things  had  be- 
come most  discouraging,  at  the  very  moment  when 


CHAPTERS    V  &  VI.  91 

' 

deliverance  seemed  at  hand;  just  as,  in  nature,  the 
darkest  hour  of  the  night  is  often  that  which  imme- 
diately precedes  the  dawn  of  the  morning.  Thus 
will  it  assuredly  be  in  Israel's  history  in  the  latter 
day.  The  moment  of  most  profound  darkness  and 
depressing  gloom  will  precede  the  bursting  of  "the 
Sun  of  Righteousness"  from  behind  the  cloud,  with 
healing  in  His  wings  to  heal  eternally  "the  hurt 
of  the  daughter  of  His  people." 

We  may  well  question  how  far  genuine  faith,  or  a 
mortified  will,  dictated  the  "  wherefore  ?"  and  the 
"why?"  of  Moses,  in  the  above  quotation.  Still, 
the  Lord  does  not  rebuke  a  remonstrance  drawn 
forth  by  the  intense  pressure  of  the  moment.  He 
most  graciously  replies,  "Now  shalt  thou  see  what 
I  will  do  to  Pharaoh :  for  with  a  strong  hand  shall 
he  let  them  go,  and  with  a  strong  hand  shall  he  drive 
them  out  of  his  land."  (Chap.  vi.  1.)  This  reply 
breathes  peculiar  grace.  Instead  of  reproving  the 
petulance  which  could  presume  to  call  in  question 
the  unsearchable  ways  of  the  great  I  AM,  that  ever- 
gracious  One  seeks  to  relieve  the  harassed  spirit  of 
His  servant  by  unfolding  to  him  what  He  was  about 
to  do.  This  wras  worthy  of  the  blessed  God — the 
unupbraiding  Giver  of  every  good  and  every  perfect 
gift.  "He  knoweth  our  frame ;  He  remembereth 
that  we  are  dust."  (Ps.  ciii.  14.) 

Nor  is  it  merely  in  His  actings  that  He  would 
cause  the  heart  to  find  its  solace,  but  in  Himself — in 
His  very  name  and  character.  This  is  full,  divine, 
and  everlasting  blessedness.  When  the  heart  can 


92  EXODUS. 

find  its  sweet  relief  in  God  Himself — when  it  can 
retreat  into  the  strong  tower  which  His  name  affords 
— when  it  can  find,  in  His  character,  a  perfect  an- 
swer to  all  its  need,  then,  truly,  it  is  raised  far  above 
the  region  of  the  creature,  it  can  turn  away  from 
earth's  fair  promises,  it  can  place  the  proper  value 
on  man's  lofty  pretensions.  The  heart  which  is  en- 
dowed with  an  experimental  knowledge  of  God  can 
not  only  look  forth  upon  earth,  and  say,  "All  is 
vanity;"  but  it  can  also  look  straight  up  to  Him, 
and  say,  u  All  my  springs  are  in  Thee." 

"And  God  spake  unto  Moses,  and  said  unto  him. 
'I  am  the  Lord:  and  I  appeared  unto  Abraham, 
unto  Isaac,  and  unto  Jacob,  by  the  name  of  God 
Almighty ;  but  by  My  name  JEHOVAH  was  I  not 
known  to  them.  And  I  have  also  established  My 
covenant  with  them  to  give  them  the  land  of  Ca- 
naan, the  land  of  their  pilgrimage,  wherein  they 
were  strangers.  And  I  have  also  heard  the  groan- 
ing of  the  children  of  Israel,  whom  the  Egyptians 
keep  in  bondage ;  and  I  have  remembered  My 
covenant.'"  "JEHOVAH"  is  the  title  which  He 
takes  as  the  Deliverer  of  His  people,  on  the 
ground  of  His  covenant  of  pure  and  sovereign 
grace.  He  reveals  Himself  as  the  great  self-exist- 
ing Source  of  redeeming  love,  establishing  His 
counsels,  fulfilling  His  promises,  delivering  His 
elect  people  from  every  enemy  and  every  evil.  It 
was  Israel's  privilege  ever  to  abide  under  the  safe 
covert  of  that  significant  title — a  title  which  dis- 
plays God  acting  for  His  own  glory,  and  taking 


CHAPTERS    V  &  VI.  93 

up   His  oppressed  -people   in  order  to  show  forth 
in  them  that  glory. 

"Wherefore  say  unto  the  children  of  Israel,  CI 
am  the  Lord,  and  I  will  bring  you  out  from  under 
the  burdens  of  the  Egyptians,  and  I  will  rid  you  out 
of  their  bondage,  and  I  will  redeem  you  with  a 
stretched-out  arm,  and  with  great  judgments ;  arid 
I  will  take  you  to  Me  for  a  people,  and  I  will  be  to 
you  a  God  ;  and  ye  shall  know  that  I  am  the  Lord 
your  God,  which  bringeth  3^011  out  from  under  the 
burderis~bf  the  Egyptians.  And  I  will  bring  you  in 
unto  the  land  -concerning  the  which  I  did  swear  to 
give  it  unto  Abraham,  to  Isaac,  and  to  Jacob ;  and 
I  will  give  it  to  you  for  a  heritage  :  I  am  the  Lord. '  ' 
(Ver.  6-8.)  All  this  speaks  the  purest,  freest,  rich- 
est grace.  Jehovah  presents  Himself  to  the  hearts 
of  His  people  as  the  One  who  was  to  act  in  them, 
for  them,  and  with  them,  for  the  display  of  His  own 
glory.  Ruined  and  helpless  as  they  were,  He  had 
come  down  to  show  forth  His  glory,  to  exhibit  His 
grace,  and  to  furnish  a  sample  of  His  power,  in  their 
full  deliverance.  His  glory  and  their  salvation  were 
inseparably  connected.  They  were  afterwards  re- 
minded of  all  this,  as  we  read  in  the  book  of  Deu- 
teronomy,— "The  Lord  did  not  set  His  love  upon 
you,  nor  choose  you,  because  ye  were  more  in  num- 
ber than  any  people ;  for  ye  were  the  fewest  of  all 
people:  but  because  the  Lord  loved  you,  and  be- 
cause He  would  keep  the  oath  which  He  had  sworn 
unto  your  fathers,  hath  the  Lord  brought  you  out 
with  a  mighty  hand,  and  redeemed  you  out  of  the 


94  EXODUS. 

house  of  bondmen,  from  the  hand  of  Pharaoh,  king 
of  Egypt."  (Chap.  vii.  7,  8.) 

Nothing  is  more  calculated  to  assure  and  establish 
the  doubting,  trembling  heart  than  the  knowledge 
that  God  has  taken  us  up  just  as  we  are,  and  in  the 
full  intelligence  of  what  we  are  ;  and,  moreover,  that 
He  can  never  make  any  fresh  discovery  to  cause  an 
alteration  in  the  character  and  measure  of  His  love. 
"Having  loved  His  own  which  were  in  the  world,  He 
loved  them  unto  the  end."  (John  xiii.)  Whom  He 
loves  and  as  He  loves,  He  loves  unto  the  end.  This 
is  an  unspeakable  comfort.  God  knew  all  about  us — 
He  knew  the  very  worst  of  us,  when  He  manifested 
His  love  to  us  in  the  gift  of  His  Son.  He  knew  what 
was  needed,  and  He  provided  it ;  He  knew  what  was 
due,  and  He  paid  it ;  He  knew  what  was  to  be 
wrought,  and  He  wrought  it ;  His  own  requirements 
had  to  be  met,  and  He  met  them.  It  is  all  His  own 
work.  Hence,  we  find  Him  saying  to  Israel,  as  in 
the  above  passage,  "I  will  bring  you  out,"  "I  will 
bring  you  in,"  "I  will  take  you  to  Me,"  "I  will 
give  you  the  land,"  "I  am  Jehovah."  It  was  all 
what  He  would  do,  as  founded  upon  what  He  was. 
Until  this  great  truth  is  fully  laid  hold  of,  until  it 
enters  into  the  soul,  in  the  power  of  the  Holy  Ghost, 
there  cannot  be  settled  peace.  The  heart  can  never 
be  happy,  or  the  conscience  at  rest,  until  one  knows 
and  believes  that  all  divine  requirements  have  been 
divinely  answered. 

The  remainder  of  our  section  is  taken  up  with  a 
record  of  "the  heads  of  their  fathers'  houses,*"  and 


CHAPTERS    VII-XI.  95 

is  very  interesting,  as  showing  us  Jehovah  coming 
in  and  numbering  those  that  belonged  to  Himself, 
though  they  were  still  in  the  possession  of  the  enemy. 
Israel  was  God's  people,  and  He  here  counts  up 
those  on  whom  He  had  a  sovereign  claim.  Amazing 
grace  !  To  find  an  object  in  those  who  were  in  the 
midst  of  all  the  degradation  of  Egyptian  bondage  ! 
This  was  worthy  of  God.  The  One  who  had  made 
the  worlds,  who  was  surrounded  by  hosts  of  unfallen 
angels,  ever  ready  to  udo  His  pleasure,"  should 
come  down  for  the  purpose  of  taking  up  a  number 
of  bond-slaves  with  whom  He  condescended  to  con- 
nect His  name.  He  came  down  and  stood  amid  the 
brick-kilns  of  Egypt,  and  there  beheld  a  people 
groaning  beneath  the  lash  of  the  taskmasters,  and 
He  uttered  those  memorable  accents,  "Let  My  peo- 
ple go  ;  "  and,  having  so  said,  He  proceeded  to  count 
them  up,  as  much  as  to  say,  These  are  Mine  ;  let  Me 
see  how  many  I  have,  that  not  one  may  be  left  be- 
hind. "He  taketh  up  the  beggar  from  the  dunghill, 
to  set  him  amongst  the  princes  of  His  people,  and 
to  make  him  inherit  the  throne  of  glory." ( 1  Sam.  ii. ) 


CHAPTERS  VII— XI. 

THESE  five  chapters  form  one  distinct  section, 
the  contents  of  which  may  be  distributed  into 
the  three  following  divisions,  namely,  the  ten  judg- 
ments from  the  hand  of  Jehovah,  the  resistance  of 
"  Jannes  and  Jambres,"  and  the  four  objections  of 
Pharaoh. 


96  EXODUS. 

The  whole  land  of  Egypt  was  made  to  trem"ble 
beneath  the  successive  strokes  of  the  rod  of  God. 
All,  from  the  monarch  on  His  throne  to  the  menial 
at  the  mill,  were  made  to  feel  the  terrible  weight  of 
that  rod.  "He  sent  Moses  His  servant,  and  Aaron 
whom  He  had  chosen.  They  showed  His  signs 
among  them,  and  wonders  in  the  land  of  Ham.  He 
sent  darkness  and  made  it  dark ;  and  they  rebelled 
not  against  His  word.  He  turned  their  waters  into 

?5 

blood,  and  slew  their  fish.  Their  land  brought  forth 
frogs  in  abundance,  in  the  chambers  of  their  kings. 
He  spake,  and  there  came  divers  sorts  of  flies  and 
lice  in  all  their  coasts.  He  gave  them  hail  for  rain, 
and  flaming  fire  in  their  land.  He  smote  their  vines 
also,  and  their  fig-trees  ;  and  brake  the  trees  of  their 
coasts.  He  spake,  and  their  locusts  came,  and  the 
caterpillars,  and  that  without  number,  and  did  eat 
up  all  the  herbs  in  their  land,  and  devoured  the 
fruit  of  their  ground.  He  smote  also  all  the  first- 
born  in  their  land,  the  chief  of  all  their  strength." 
(Ps.  cv.  26-36.) 

Here  the  inspired  Psalmist  has  given  a  condensed 
view  of  those  appalling  inflictions  which  the  hardness 
of  Pharaoh's  heart  brought  upon  his  land  and  upon 
his  people.  This  haughty  monarch  had  set  himself 
to  resist  the  sovereign  will  and  course  of  the  Most 
High  God  ;  and,  as  a  just  consequence,  he  was  given 
over  to  judicial  blindness  and  hardness  of  heart. 
"And  the  Lord  hardened  the  heart  of  Pharaoh,  and 
he  hearkened  not  unto  them,  as  the  Lord  had  spoken 
unto  Moses.  And  the  Lord  said  unto  Moses,  'Rise 


CHAPTERS    VII-XI.  97 

up  early  in  the  morning,  and  stand  before  Pharaoh, 
and  say  unto  him,  Thus  saith  the  Lord  God  of  the 
Hebrews,  Let  My  people  go^  that  they  may  serve  Me. 
For  I  will  at  this  time  send  all  My  plagues  upon 
thine  heart,  and  upon  thy  servants,  and  upon  thy 
people ;  that  thou  mayest  know  that  there  is  none 
like  Me  in  all  the  earth.  For  now  I  will  stretch  out 
My  hand  that  I  may  smite  thee  and  thy  people  with 
pestilence  ;  and  thou  shalt  be  cut  off  from  the  earth. 
And  in  very  deed  for  this  cause  have  I  raised  thee 
up,  for  to  show  in  thee  My  power,  and  that  My  name 
may  be  declared  throughout  all  the  earth.'  "  (Exod. 
ix.  12-16.) 

In  contemplating  Pharaoh  and  his  actings,  the 
mind  is  carried  forward  to  the  stirring  scenes  of  the 
book  of  Revelation,  in  which  we  find  the  last  proud 
oppressor  of  the  people  of  God  bringing  down  upon 
his  kingdom  and  upon  himself  the  seven  vials  of  the 
wrath  of  the  Almighty.  It  is  God's  purpose  that 
Israel  shall  be  pre-eminent  in  the  earth  ;  and,  there- 
fore, every  one  who  presumes  to  stand  in  the  way  of 
that  pre-eminence  must  be  set  aside.  Divine  grace 
must  find  its  object ;  and  every  one  who  would  act 
as  a  barrier  in  the  way  of  that  grace,  must  be  taken 
out  of  the  way, — whether  it  be  Egypt,  Babylon,  or 
"the  beast  that  was,  is  not,  and  yet  is,"  it  matters 
not.  Divine  power  will  clear  the  channel  for  divine 
grace  to  flow,  and  eternal  woe  be  to  all  who  stand  in 
the  way.  They  shall  taste,  throughout  the  everlast- 
ing course  of  ages,  the  bitter  fruit  of  having  exalted 
themselves  against  "  the  Lord  God  of  the  Hebrews." 


98  EXODUS. 

He  lias  said  to  His  people,  "No  weapon  that  is 
formed  against  tliee  shall  prosper,"  and  His  infalli- 
ble faithfulness  will  assuredly  make  good  what  His 
infinite  grace  hath  promised. 

Thus,  in  Pharaoh  case,  when  he  persisted  in  hold- 
ing, with  an  iron  grasp,  the  Israel  of  God,  the  vials 
of  divine  wrath  were  poured  forth  upon  him  ;  and 
the  land  of  Egypt  was  covered,  throughout  its  entire 
length  and  breadth,  with  darkness,  disease,  and  des- 
olation. So  will  it  be  by  and  by,  when  the  last  great 
oppressor  shall  emerge  from  the  bottomless  pit, 
armed  with  satanic  power,  to  crush  beneath  his 
"foot  of  pride"  the  favored  objects  of  Jehovah's 
choice.  His  throne  shall  be  overturned,  his  kingdom 
devastated  by  the  seven  last  plagues,  and,  finally, 
he  himself  plunged,  not  in  the  Red  Sea,  but  "in  the 
lake  that  burneth  with  fire  and  brimstone."  (Comp. 
Eev.  xvii.  8;  xx.  10.) 

Not  one  jot  or  one  tittle  of  what  God  has  prom- 
ised to  Abraham,  Isaac,  and  Jacob  shall  fail.  He 
will  accomplish  all.  Notwithstanding  all.  that  has 
been  said  and  done  to  the  contrary,  God  remembers 
His  promises,  and  He  will  fulfill  them.  They  are  all 
"yea  and  amen  in  Christ."  Dynasties  have  risen 
and  acted  on  the  stage  of  this  world ;  thrones  have 
been  erected  on  the  apparent  ruins  of  Jerusalem's 
ancient  glory  ;  empires  have  flourished  for  a  time,  and 
then  fallen  to  decay  ;  ambitious  potentates  have  con- 
tended for  the  possession  of  "the  land  of  promise" 
— all  these  things  have  taken  place  ;  but  Jehovah  has 
said  concerning  Palestine,  "The  land  shall  not  be 


CHAPTERS    VII-XI.  99 

sold  forever:  for  the  land  is  Mine."  (Lev.  xxv.  23.) 
No  one,  therefore,  shall  ever  finally  possess  that  land 
but  Jehovah  Himself,  and  He  will  inherit  it  through 
the  seed  of  Abraham.  One  plain  passage  of  Scripture 
is  quite  sufficient  to  establish  the  mind  in  reference 
to  this  or  any  other  subject.  The  land  of  Canaan  is 
for  the  seed  of  Abraham,  and  the  seed  of  Abraham 
for  the  land  of  Canaan  ;  nor  can  any  power  of  earth 
or  hell  ever  reverse  this  divine  order.  The  eternal 
God  has  pledged  His  word,  and  the  blood  of  the 
everlasting  covenant  has  flowed  to  ratify  that  word. 
Who,  then,  shall  make  it  void  ?  " Heaven  and  earth 
shall  pass  away,  but  that  word  shall  never  pass 
away."  Truly,  " there  is  none  like  unto  the  God  of 
Jeshurun,  who  rideth  upon  the  heaven  in,  thy  help, 
and  in  His  excellency  on  the  sky.  The  eternal  God 
is  thy  refuge,  and  underneath  are  the  everlasting 
arms  ;  and  He  shall  thrust  out  the  enemy  from  before 
thee  ;  and  shall  say,  Destroy  them.  Israel  then  shall 
dwell  in  safety  alone :  the  fountain  of  Jacob  shall  be 
upon  a  land  of  corn  and  wine  ;  also  his  heavens  shall 
drop  down  dew.  Happy  art  thou,  O  Israel,  who  is 
like  unto  thee,  O  people  saved  by  the  Lord,  the 
shield  of  thy  help,  and  who  is  the  sword  of  thy  ex- 
cellency !  and  thy  enemies  shall  be  found  liars  unto 
thee  ;  and  thou  shalt  tread  upon  their  high  places." 
(Deut.  xxxiii.  26-29.) 

We  shall  now  consider,  in  the-  second  place,  the 
opposition  of  u  Jannes  and  Jambres,"  the  magicians 
of  Egypt.  We  should  not  have  known  the  names  of 
these  ancient  opposers  of  the  truth  of  God,  had  they 


100  EXODUS. 

not  been  recorded  by  the  Holy  Ghost,  in  connection 
with  "the  perilous  times"  of  which  the  apostle  Paul 
warns  his  son  Timothy.  It  is  important  that  the 
Christian  reader  should  clearly  understand  the  real 
nature  of  the  opposition  given  to  Moses  by  those 
magicians,  and  in  order  that  he  may  have  the  subject 
fully  before  him,  I  shall  quote  the  entire  passage 
from  St.  Paul's  epistle  to  Timothy.  It  is  one  of 
deep  and  awful  solemnity. 

"This  know  also,  that  in  the  last  days  perilous 
times  shall  come.  For  men  shall  be  lovers  of  their 
own  selves,  covetous,  boasters,  proud,  blasphemers, 
disobedient  to  parents,  unthankful,  unholy,  without 
natural  affection,  truce-breakers,  false  accusers,  in- 
continent, fierce,  despisers  of  those  that  are  good, 
traitors,  heady,  high-minded,  lovers  of  pleasures 
rather  than  lovers  of  God ;  having  a  form  of  godli- 
ness, but  denying  the  power  thereof:  from  such  turn 
away.  For  of  this  sort  are  they  which  creep  into 
houses,  and  lead  captive  silly  women  laden  with  sins, 
led  away  with  divers  lusts,  ever  learning,  and  never 
able  to  come  to  the  knowledge  of  the  truth.  Now 
as  Jannes  and  Jambres  withstood  Moses,  so  do  these 
also  resist  the  truth :  men  of  corrupt  minds,  repro- 
bate concerning  the  faith.  But  they  shall  proceed 
no  further  ;  for  their  folly  shall  be  manifest  unto  all, 
as  theirs  also  was."  (2  Tim.  iii.  1-9.) 

Now,  it  is  peculiarly  solemn  to  mark  the  nature  of 
this  resistance  to  the  truth.  The  mode  in  which 
"Jannes  and  Jambres  withstood  Moses"  was  simply 
by  imitating,  as  far  as  they  were  able,  whatever  he 


CHAPTERS    VII— XI.  101 

did.  We  do  not  find  that  they  attributed  his  actings 
to  a  false  or  evil  energy,  but  rather  that  they  sought 
to  neutralize  their  power  upon  the  conscience,  by 
doing  the  same  things.  What  Moses  did  they  could 
do,  so  that  after  all  there  was  no  great  difference. 
One  was  as  good  as  the  other.  A  miracle  is  a  mir- 
acle. If  Moses  wrought  miracles  to  get  the  people 
out  of  Egypt,  they  could  work  miracles  to  keep  them 
in  ;  so  where  was  the  difference  ? 

From  all  this  we  learn  the  solmen  truth  that  the 
most  satanic  resistance  to  God's  testimony  in  the 
world  is  offered  by  those  who,  though  they  imitate 
the  effects  of  the  truth,  have  but  "the  form  of  god- 
liness," and  "deny  the  power  thereof."  Persons  of 
this  class  can  do  the  same  things,  adopt  the  same 
habits  and  forms,  use  the  same  phraseology,  profess 
the  same  opinions  as  others.  If  the  true  Christian, 
constrained  by  the  love  of  Christ,  feeds  the  hungry, 
clothes  the  naked,  visits  the  sick,  circulates  the 
Scriptures,  distributes  tracts,  supports  the  gospel, 
engages  in  prayer,  sings  praise,  preaches  the  gospel, 
the  formalist  can  do  every  one  of  these  things  ;  and 
this,  be  it  observed,  is  the  special  character  of  the 
resistance  offered  to  the  truth  "in  the  last  days" — 
this  is  the  spirit  of  "Jannes  and  Jambres."  How 
needful  to  understand  this  !  How  important  tore- 
member  that,  "as  Jannes  and  Jambres  withstood 
Moses,  so  do"  those  self-loving,  world -seeking, 
pleasure-hunting  professors  4  'resist  the  truth. ' '  They 
would  not  be  without  "a  form  of  godliness;"  but, 
while  adopting  "the  form,"  because  it  is  customary, 


102  EXODUS. 

they  hate  "the  power,"  because  it  involves  self- 
denial.  "The  power"  of  godliness  involves  the 
recognition  of  God's  claims,  the  implanting  of  His 
kingdom  in  the  heart,  and  the  consequent  exhibition 
thereof  in  the  whole  life  and  character ;  but  the 
formalist  knows  nothing  of  this.  "The  power"  of 
godliness  could  never  comport  with  any  one  of  those 
hideous  features  set  forth  in  the  foregoing  quotation  ; 
but  "the  form,"  while  it  covers  them  over,  leaves 
them  wholly  unsubdued  ;  and  this  the  formalist  likes. 
He  does  not  want  his  lusts  subdued,  his  pleasures 
interfered  with,  his  passions  curbed,  his  affections 
governed,  his  heart  purified.  He  wants  just  as  much 
religion  as  wrill  enable  him  "to  make  the  best  of  both 
worlds."  He  knows  nothing  of  giving  up  the  world 
that  is,  because  of  having  found  "  the  world  to 
come." 

In  marking  the  forms  of  Satan's  opposition  to  the 
truth  of  God,  we  find  that  his  method  has  ever  been, 
first,  to  oppose  it  by  violence ;  and  then,  if  that  did 
not  succeed,  to  corrupt  it  by  producing  a  counter- 
feit. Hence,  lie  first  sought  to  slay  Moses  (Chap, 
ii.  15.),  and  having  failed  to  accomplish  his  purpose, 
he  sought  to  imitate  his  works. 

Thus,  too,  has  it  been  in  reference  to  the  truth 
committed  to  the  Church  of  God.  Satan's  early 
efforts  showed  themselves  in  connection  with  the 
wrath  of  the  chief  priests  and  elders,  the  judgment- 
seat,  the  prison,  and  the  sword.  But  in  the  passage 
just  quoted  from  2  Timothy,  we  find  no  reference  to 
any  such  agencj^.  Open  violence  has  made  way  for 


CHAPTERS    VII-XI.  103 

the  far  more  wily  and  dangerous  instrumentality  of 
a  powerless  form,  an  empty  profession,  a  human 
counterfeit.  The  enemy,  instead  of  appearing  with 
the  sword  of  persecution  in  his  hand,  walks  about 
with  the  cloak  of  profession  on  his  shoulders.  He 
professes  and  imitates  that  which  he  once  opposed 
and  persecuted ;  and,  by  so  doing,  gains  most  ap- 
palling advantages  for  the  time  being.  The  fearful 
forms  of  moral. evil  which,  from  age  to  age,  have 
stained  the  page  of  human  history,  instead  of  being 
found  only  where  we  might  naturally  look  for  them, 
amid  the  dens  and  caves  of  human  darkness,  are  to 
be  found  carefully  arranged  beneath  the  drapery  of 
a  cold,  powerless,  uninfluential  profession  ;  and  this 
is  one  of  Satan's  grand  masterpieces. 

That  man,  as  a  fallen,  corrupt  creature,  should 
love  himself,  be  covetous,  boastful,  proud,  and  the 
like,  is  natural ;  but  that  he  should  be  all  these  be- 
neath the  fair  covering  of  "a  form  of  godliness," 
marks  the  special  energy  of  Satan  in  his  resistance 
to  the  truth  in  "the  last  da}'s."  That  man  should 
stand  forth  in  the  bold  exhibition  of  those  hideous 
vices,  lusts,  and  passions  which  are  the  necessary 
results  of  departure  from  the  source  of  infinite  holi- 
ness and  purity,  is  only  what  might  be  expected,  for 
man  will  be  what  he  is  to  the  end  of  the  chapter. 
But  on  the  other  hand,  when  we  rind  the  holy  name 
of  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ  connected  with  man's 
wickedness  and  deadly  evil, — when  we  find  holy 
principles  connected  with  unholy  practices, — when 
we  find  all  the  characteristics  of  Gentile  corruption, 


104  EXODUS. 

referred  to  in  the  first  chapter  of  Romans,  associated 
with  ua  form  of  godliness,"  then,  truly,  we  may 
say ,  these  are  the  terrible  features  of  ' '  the  last  days ' ' 
— this  is  the  resistance  of  "  Jannes  and  Jambres." 

However,  there  were  only  three  things  in  which 
the  magicians  of  Egypt  were  able  to  imitate  the 
servants  of  the  true  and  living  God,  namely,  in  turn- 
ing their  rods  into  serpents  (Chap.  vii.  12.),  turning 
the  water  into  blood  (Chap.  vii.  22.),  and  bringing 
up  the  frogs  (Chap.  viii.  7.);  but  in  the  fourth, 
which  involved  the  exhibition  of  life,  in  connection 
with  the  display  of  nature's  humiliation,  they  were 
totally  confounded,  and  obliged  to  own,  "This  is 
the  finger  of  God."  (Chap.  viii.  16-19.)  Thus  it 
is  also  with  the  latter-day  resisters  of  the  truth.  All 
that  they  do  is  by  the  direct  energy  of  Satan,  and 
lies  within  the  range  of  his  power.  Moreover,  its 
specific  object  is  to  " resist  the  truth." 

The  three  things  which  "  Jannes  and  Jambres" 
were  able  to  accomplish  were  characterized  by  sa- 
tanic  energy,  death,  and  uncleanness  ;  that  is  to  say, 
the  serpents,  the  blood,  and  the  frogs.  Thus  it  was 
they  "withstood  Moses;"  and  "so  do  these  also 
resist  the  truth,"  and  hinder  its  moral  weight  and 
action  upon  the  conscience.  There  is  nothing  which 
so  tends  to  deaden  the  power  of  the  truth  as  the  fact 
that  persons  who  are  not  under  its  influences  at  all, 
do  the  self-same  things  as  those  who  are.  This  is 
Satan's  agency  just  now.  He  seeks  to  have  all 
regarded  as  Christians.  He  would  fain  make  ns  be- 
lieve ourselves  surrounded  by  "a  Christian  world  ;  " 


CHAPTERS    VII -XI.  .  105 

but  it  is  counterfeit  Christianity,  which,  so  far  from 
being  a  testimony  to  the  truth,  is  designed  by  the 
enemy  of  the  truth,  to  withstand  its  purifying  and 
elevating  influence. 

In  short,  the  servant  of  Christ  and  the  witness  for 
the  truth  is  surrounded,  on  all  sides,  by  the  spirit 
of  u  Jannes  and  Jambres  ; "  and  it  is  well  for  him  to 
remember  this — to  know  thoroughly  the  evil  with 
which  he  has  to  grapple — to  bear  in  mind  that  it  is 
Satan's  imitation  of  God's  reality,  produced,  not 
by  the  wand  of  an  openly- wicked  magician,  but  by 
the  actings  of  false  professors,  who  have  "a  form 
of  godliness,  but  deny  the  po\ver  thereof,"  who  do 
tilings  apparently  right  and  good,  but  who  have 
neither  the  life  of  Christ  in  their  souls,  the  love  of 
God  in  their  hearts,  nor  the  power  of  the  Word  in 
their  consciences. 

"But,"  adds  the  inspired  apostle,  "they  shall 
proceed  no  further,  for  their  folly  shall  be  mani- 
fested unto  all,  as  theirs  also  was."  Truly  the 
"folly"  of  u Jannes  and  Jambres"  was  manifest 
unto  all,  when  they  not  only  failed  to  imitate  the 
further  actings  of  Moses  and  Aaron,  but  actually 
became  involved  in  the  judgments  of  God.  This  is 
a  solemn  point.  The  folly  of  all  who  arc  merely 
possessed  of  the  form  will,  in  like  manner,  be  made 
inanifest.  They  will  not  only  be  quite  unable  to 
imitate  the  full  and  proper  effects  cf  divine  life  and 
power,  but  they  themselves  become  the  subjects  of 
those  judgments  which  will  result  from  the  rejection 
of  that  truth  which  they  have  resisted. 


100  EXODUS. 

Will  any  one  say  that  all  this  has  no  voice  for  a 
day  of  powerless  profession  ?  Assuredly  it  has.  It 
should  speak  to  each  conscience  in  living  power ;  it 
should  tell  on  each  heart,  in  accents  of  impressive 
solemnity.  It  should  lead  each  one  to  inquire  seri- 
ously whether  he  is  testifying  for  the  truth,  by  walk- 
ing in  the  power  of  godliness,  or  hindering  it,  and 
neutralizing  its  action,  by  having  only  the  form.  The 
effect  of  the  power  of  godliness  will  be  seen  by  our 
"continuing  in  the  things. which  we  have  learned." 
None  will  continue,  save  those  who  are  taught  of 
God;  those,  by  the  power  of  the  Spirit  of  God, 
have  drunk  in  divine  principle,  at  the  pure  fountain 
of  inspiration. 

Blessed  be  God,  there  are  many  such  throughout 
the  various  sections  of  the  professing  Church.  There 
are  manjr,  here  and  there,  whose  consciences  have 
been  bathed  in  the  atoning  blood  of  "the  Lamb  of 
God,"  whose  hearts  beat  high  with  genuine  attach- 
ment to  His  Person,  and  whose  spirits  are  cheered 
by  "that  blessed  hope"  of  seeing  Him  as  He  is,  and 
of  being  eternally  conformed  to  His  image.  It  is 
encouraging  to  think  of  such.  It  is  an  unspeakable 
mercy  to  have  fellowship  with  those  who  can  give  a 
reason  of  the  hope  that  is  in  them,  and  for  the  posi- 
tion which  they  occupy.  May  the  Lord  add  to  their 
number  daily.  May  the  power  of  godliness  spread' 
far  and  wide  in  these  last  days,  so  that  a  bright  and 
well-sustained  testimony  may  be  raised  to  the  name 
of  Him  who  is  worthy. 

The  third  point  in  our  section  yet  remains  to  be 


CHAPTERS,  VII-XI.  107 

considered,  namely,  Pharaoh's  four  subtle  objections 
to  the  full  deliverance  and  complete  separation  of 
God's  people  from  the  land  of  Egypt.  The  first  of 
these  we  have  in  chapter  viii.  25. — "And  Pharaoh 
called  for  Moses  and  Aaron,  and  said,  'Go  ye,  sacri- 
fice to  your  God  in  the  land. " '  It  is  needless  to  remark 
here,  that  whether  the  magicians  withstood,  or  Pha- 
raoh objected,  it  wras,  in  reality,  Satan  that  stood 
behind  the  scenes ;  and  his  manifest  object,  in  this 
proposal  of  Pharaoh,  was  to  hinder  the  testimony  to 
the  Lord's  name — a  testimony  connected  with  the 
thorough  separation  of  His  people  from  Egypt. 
There  could  evidently  be  no  such  testimony  had  they 
remained  in  Egypt,  even  though  they  were  to  sac- 
rifice to  Him.  They  would -have  taken  common 
ground  with  the  uncircumcised  Egyptians,  and  put 
Jehovah  on  a  level  with  the  gods  of  Egypt.  In  this 
case,  an  Egyptian  could  have  said  to  an  Israelite, 
I  see  no  difference  between  us  ;  you  have  your  wor- 
ship and  we  have  ours  ;  it  is  all  alike. 

As  a  matter  of  course,  men  think  it  quite  right 
for  every  one  to  have  a  religion,  let  it  be  what  it 
may.  Provided  we  are  sincere,  and  do  not  interfere 
with  our  neighbor's  creed,  it  does  not  matter  what 
shape  our  religion  may  happen  to  wear.  Such  are 
the  thoughts  of  men  in  reference  to  what  they  call 
religion  ;  but  it  is  very  obvious  that  the  glory  of  the 
name  of  Jesus  finds  no  place,  in  all  this.  The  de- 
mand for  separation  is  that  which  the  enemy  will 
ever  oppose,  and  which  the  lieart  of  man  cannot 
understand.  The  heart  may  crave  religiousness,  be^ 


108  EXODUS. 

cause  conscience  testifies  that  all  is  not  right ;  but 
it  craves  the  world  as  well.  It  would  like  to  "sac- 
rifice to  God  in  the  land;"  and  Satan's  object  is 
gained  when  people  accept  of  a  worldly  religion,  and 
refuse  to  "come  out  and  be  separate."  (2  Cor.  vi.) 
His  unvarying  purpose  from  the  beginning  has  been 
to  hinder  the  testimony  to  God's  name  on  the  earth. 
Such  was  the  dark  tendency  of  the  proposal,  "Go 
ye,  sacrifice  to  your  God  in  the  land."  What  a  com- 
plete damper  to  the  testimony,  had  this  proposal 
been  acceded  to !  God's  people  in  Egypt  and  God 
Himself  linked  with  ttie  idols  of  Egypt  !  Terrible 
blasphemy  ! 

Reader,  we  should  deeply  ponder  this.  The  effort 
to  induce  Israel  to  worship  God  in  Egypt  reveals  a 
far  deeper  principle  than  we  might,  at  first  sight, 
imagine.  The  enemy  would  rejoice,  at  any  time, 
by  any  means,  or  under  any  circumstances,  to  get 
even  the  semblance  of  divine  sanction  for  the  world's 
religion.  He  has  no  objections  to  such  religion.  He 
gains  his  end  as  effectually  by  what  is  termed  "the 
religious  world"  as  by  any  other  agency;  and 
hence,  when  he  can  succeed  in  getting  a  true  Chris- 
tian to  accredit  the  religion  of  the  day,  he  gains  a 
grand  point.  As  a  matter  of  actual  fact,  one  knows 
that  nothing  elicits  such  intense  indignation  as  the 
divine  principle  of  separation  from  this  present  evil 
world.  You  may  hold  the  same  opinions,  preach 
the  same  doctrines,  do  the  same  work ;  but  if  you 
only  attempt,  in  ever  so  feeble  a  manner,  to  act 
upon  the  divine  commands,  "From  such  turn  away" 


CHAPTEKS    VII-XI.  109 

(2  Tim.  iii.  5.),  and  "Come  out  from  among  them" 
(2  Cor.  vi.  17.),  you  may  reckon  assuredly  upon  the 
most  vigorous  opposition.  Now  how  is  this  to  be 
accounted  for  ?  Mainly  by  the  fact  that  Christians, 
in  separation  from  this  world's  hollow  religiousness, 
bear  a  testimony  for  Christ  which  they  never  can 
bear  while  connected  with  it. 

There  is  a  very  wide  difference  between  human 
religion  and  Christ.  A  poor,  benighted  Hindoo 
might  talk  to  you  of  his  religion,  but  he  knows  no- 
thing of  Christ.  The  apostle  does  not  say,  If  there 
be  any  consolation  in  religion ;  though,  doubtless, 
the  votaries  of  each  kind  of  religion  find  what  they 
deem  consolation  therein.  Paul,  on  the  other  hand, 
found  his  consolation  in  Christ,  having  fully  proved 
the  worthlessness  of  religion,  and  that,  too,  in  its 
fairest  and  most  imposing  form.  (Comp.  Gal.  i.  13, 
14;  Phil.  iii.  4-11.) 

True,  the  Spirit  of  God  speaks  to  us.  of  "pure 
religion  and  undefined;"  but  the  unregenerate  man 
cannot,  by  any  means,  participate  therein ;  for  how 
could  he  possibly  take  part  in  aught  that  is  c  fc  pure 
and  undefiled"?  This  religion  is  from  heaven,  the 
source  of  all  that  is  pure  and  lovely  ;  it  is  exclusively 
before  the  eye  of  "God  and  the  Father;"  it  is  for 
the  exercise  of  the  functions  of  that  new  nature  with 
which  all  are  endowed  who  believe  on  the  name  of 
the  Son  of  God.  (John  i.  12,  13 ;  James  i.  18 ; 
1  Peter  i.  23 ;  1  John  v.  1.)  Finally,  it  ranges 
itself  under  the  two  comprehensive  heads  of  act- 
ive benevolence  and  personal  holiness, — "To  visit 


110  EXODUS. 

the  fatherless  and  widows  in  their  affliction,  and 
to  keep  himself  unspotted  from  the  world."  (James 
i.  27.) 

Now,  if  you  go  through  the  entire  catalogue  of  the 
genuine  fruits  of  Christianity,  you  will  find  them  all 
classed  under  these  two  heads ;  and  it  is  deeply 
interesting  to  observe  that,  whether  we  turn  to  the 
eighth  of  Exodus  or  to  the  first  of  James,  we  find 
separation  from  the  world  put  forward  as  an  indis- 
pensable quality  in  the  true  service  of  God.  Nothing 
could  be  acceptable  before  God — nothing  could  re- 
ceive from  His  hand  the  stamp  of  "pure  and  unde- 
filed,"  which  was  polluted  by  contact  with  an  "evil 
world."  "  'Come  out  from  among  them,  and  be  ye 
separate,'  saith  the  Lord,  c  and  touch  not  the  unclean 
thing ;  and  I  will  receive  you,  and  will  be  a  Father 
unto  you,  and  ye  shall  be  My  sons  and  daughters,' 
saith  the  Lord  Almighty."  (2  Cor.  vi.  17,  18.) 

There  was  no  meeting-place  for  Jehovah  and  His 
redeemed  in  Egypt ;  yea,  with  them,  redemption 
and  separation  from  Egypt  were  one  and  the  same 
thing.  God  had  said,  "I  am  come  down  to  deliver 
them,"  and  nothing  short  of  this  could  either  satisfy 
or  glorify  Him.  A  salvation  which  would  have  left 
them  still  in  Egypt  could  not  possibly  be  God's 
salvation.  Moreover,  we  must  bear  in  mind  that 
Jehovah's  purpose  in  the  salvation  of  Israel,  as  well 
as  in  the  destruction  of  Pharaoh,  was,  that  u  His 
name  might  be  declared  throughout  all  the  earth  ;  " 
and  what  declaration  could  there  be  of  that  name  or 
character  were  His  people  to  attempt  to  worship  Him 


CHAPTERS    VII-XI.  Ill 

in  Egypt  ?  Either  none  whatever  or  an  utterly  false 
one.  Wherefore  it  was  essentially  necessary,  in 
order  to  the  full  and  faithful  declaration  of  God's 
character,  that  His  people  should  be  wholly  delivered 
and  completely  separated  from  Egypt ;  and  it  is  as 
essentially  necessary  now,  in  order  to  a  clear  and 
unequivocal,  testimony  for  the  Son  of  God,  that  all 
who  are  really  His  should  be  separated  from  this 
present  world.  Such  is  the  will  of* God;  and  for 
this  end  Christ  gave  Himself.  u  Grace  unto  you 
and  peace  from  God  the  Father,  and  our  Lord  Jesus 
Christ,  who  gave  Himself  for  our  sins,  that  He  might 
deliver  us  from  this  present  evil  world,  according  to 
the  will  of  God  and  our  Father ;  to  whom  be  glory 
forever  and  ever.  Amen."  (Gal.  i.  3-5.) 

The  Galatians  were  beginning  to  accredit  a  carnal 
and  worldly  religion — a  religion  of  ordinances — a 
religion  of  "days,  and  months,  and  times,  and 
years;"  and  the  apostle  commences  his  epistle  by 
telling  them  that  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ  gave  Himself 
for  the  purpose  of  delivering  His  people  from  that 
very  thing.  God's  people  must  be  separate,  not,  by 
any  means.,  on  the  ground  of  their  superior  personal 
sanctity,  but  because  they  are  His  people,  and  in 
order  that  they  may  rightly  and  intelligently  answer 
His  gracious  end  in  taking  them  into  connection 
with  Himself,  and  attaching  His  name  to  them.  A 
people  still  amid  the  defilements  and  abominations 
of  Egypt  could  not  have  been  a  witness  for  the  Holy 
One  ;  nor  can  any  one  now,  while  mixed  up  with  the 
defilements  of  a  corrupt  worldly  religion,  possibly 


112  EXODUS. 

be  a  bright  and  steady  witness  for  a  crucified  and 
risen  Christ. 

The  answer  given  by  Moses  to  Pharaoh's  first 
objection  was  a  truly  memorable  one.  "And  Moses 
said,  'It  is  not  meet  so  to  do  ;  for  we  shall  sacrifice 
the  abomination  of  the  Egyptians  to  the  Lord  our 
God ;  lo,  shall  we  sacrifice  the  abomination  of  the 
Egyptians  before  their  eyes,  and  will  they  not  stone 
us  ?  We  will  go  three  days'  journey  into  the  wilder- 
ness, and  sacrifice  to  the  Lord  our  God,  as  He  shall 
command  us.'  "  (Chap.  viii.  2G,  27.)  Here  is  true 
separation  from  Egypt — "three  days'  journey." 
Nothing  less  than  this  could  satisfy  faith.  The 
Israel  of  God  must  be  separated  from  the  land  of 
death  and  darkness,  in  the  power  of  resurrection. 
The  waters  of  the  Red  Sea  must  roll  between  God's 
redeemed  and  Eg3^pt  ere  they  can  properly  sacrifice 
to  Jehovah.  Had  they  remained  in  Egypt,  they 
would  have  to  sacrifice  to  the  Lord  the  very  objects 
of  Egypt's  abominable  worship.*  This  would  never 
do.  There  could  be  no  tabernacle,  no  temple,  no 
altar,  in  Egypt.  It  had  no  site,  throughout  its  entire 
limits,  for  aught  of  that  kind.  In  point  of  fact,  as 
we  shall  see  further  on,  Israel  never  presented  so 
much  as  a  single  note  of  praise  until  the  whole  con- 
gregation stood,  in  the  full  power  of  an  accomplished 
redemption,  on  Canaan's  side  of  the  Red  Sea.  Ex- 
actly so  is  it  now.  The  believer  must  know  where 
the  death  and  resurrection  of  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ 


*The  word  "abomination"  has  reference  to  that  which  the 
Egyptians  worshiped. 


CHAPTERS    VIT-XI.  113 

have  forever  set  him,  ere  he  c| 
worshiper,    an   acceptable 
witness. 

It  is  not  a  question  of  beir 
as  such,  a  saved  person. 
God  are  very  far  from  knowing 
regards  themselves,  of  the  death  and  resurrection  of 
Christ.  They  do  not  apprehend  the  precious  truth, 
that  the  death  of  Christ  has  made  an  end  of  their 
sins  forever,  and  that  they  are  the  happy  partakers 
of  His  resurrection  life,  with  which  sin  can  have 
nothing  whatever  to  do.  Christ  became  a  curse  for 
us,  not,  as  some  would  teach  us,  by  being  born  under 
the  curse  of  a  broken  law,  but  by  hanging  on  a  tree. 
(Compare,  attentively,  Deut.  xxi.  23;  Gal.  iii.  13.) 
We  were  under  the  curse  because  we  had  not  kept 
the  law  ;  but  Christ,  the  perfect  Man,  having  magni- 
fied the  law  and  made  it  honorable,  by  the  very  fact 
of  His  obeying  it  perfectly,  became  a  curse  for  us 
by  hanging  on  the  tree.  Thus,  in  His  life  He  mag- 
nified God's  law,  and  in  His  death  He  bore  our 
curse.  There  is  therefore  now  no  guilt,  no  curse, 
no  wrath,  no  condemnation  for  the  believer ;  and, 
albeit,  he  must  be  manifested  before  the  judgment- 
seat  of  Christ;  but  even  there  the  question  of  sin' 
is  not  raised.  The  cross  of  Christ  has  settled  that 
forever ;  so  that  it  is  written  of  those  that  believe, 
"And  their  sins  and  iniquities  will  I  remember  no 
more."  (Heb.  x.  17.)  The  Christian's  whole  course 
must  indeed  be  manifested  before  the  judgment- 
seat  of  Christ ;  but  the  Judge  Himself  has  put  away 


114  EXODUS. 

all  his  sins,  and  is  his  righteousness,  so  that  the 
judgment-seat  cannot  but  be  friendly  to  him.  He 
surely  will  not  condemn  His  own  work.  The  right- 
eousness that  was  required,  God  Himself  has  pro- 
vided it.  He  surely  will  not  find  any  flaw  therein. 
The  light  of  the  judgment-seat  will  be  bright  enough 
to  disperse  every  mist  and  cloud  which  might  tend 
to  obscure  the  matchless  glories  and  eternal  virtues 
which  belong  to  the  cross,  and  to  show  that  the 
believer  is  "clean  every  whit."  (John  xiii.  10; 
xv.  3;  Eph.  v.  27.) 

It  is  because  these  foundation,- truths  are  not  laid 
hold  of  in  the  simplicity  of  faith  that  many  of  the 
children  of  God  complain  of  their  lack  of  settled 
peace — the  constant  variation  in  their  spiritual  con- 
dition— the  continual  ups  and  downs  in  their  experi- 
ence. Every  doubt  in  the  heart  of  a  Christian  is  a 
dishonor  done  to  the  Word  of  God  and  the  sacrifice 
of  Christ.  It  is  because  he  does  not,  even  now,  bask 
in  the  light  which  shines  from  the  cross  of  Christ, 
that  he  is  ever  afflicted  with  a  doubt  or  a  fear. 
And  yet  those  tilings  which  so  many  have  to  deplore 
— those  fluctuations  and  waverings — are  but  trifling 
consequences,  comparatively,  inasmuch  as  they  mere- 
ly affect  their  experience.  The  effect  produced  upon 
their  worship,  their  service,  and  their  testimony,  is 
far  more  serious,  inasmuch  as  the  Lord's  honor  is 
concerned.  But,  alas !  this  latter  is  but  little  thought 
of,  generally  speaking,  simply  because  personal  sal- 
vation is  the  grand  object — the  aim  and  end — with 
the  majority  of  professing  Christians.  We  are  prone 


CHAPTERS   VII-XI.  115 

to  look  upon  everything  that  affects  ourselves  as 
essential ;  whereas,  all  that  merely  affects  the  glory  of 
Christ  in  and  by  us  is  counted  non-essential. 

However,  it  is  well  to  see  with  distinctness,  that 
the  same  truth  which  gives  the  soul  settled  peace, 
puts  it  also  into  the  position  of  intelligent  worship, 
acceptable  service,  and  effectual  testimony.  In  the 
fifteenth  chapter  of  1  Corinthians;  the  apostle  sets 
forth  the  death  and  resurrection  of  Christ  as  the 
grand  foundation  of  everything. — " Moreover,  breth- 
ren, I  declare  unto  you  the  gospel  which  I  preached 
unto  you,  which  also  ye  have  received,  and  wherein 
ye  stand ;  by  which  also  ye  are  saved,  if  ye  keep  in 
memory  what  I  preached  unto  you,  unless  }Te  have 
believed  in  vain.  For  I  delivered  unto  you  first  of 
all  that  which  I  also  received,  how  that  Christ  died 
for  our  sins  according  to  the  Scriptures,  and  that  He 
was  buried,  and  that  He  rose  again  the  third  day 
according  to  the  Scriptures."  (Ver.  1-4.)  Here  is 
the  gospel  in  one  brief  and  comprehensive  statement. 
A  dead  and  risen  Christ  is  the  ground- work  of  sal- 
vation. 4;He  was  delivered  for  our  offences,  and 
raised  again,  for  our  justification."  (Rom.  iv.  25.) 
To  see  Jesus,  by  the  eye  of  faith,  nailed  to  the  cross, 
and  seated  on  the  throne,  must  give  solid  peace  to 
the  conscience  and  perfect  liberty  to  the  heart.  We 
can  look  into  the  tomb,  and  see  it  empty ;  we  can 
look  up  to  the  throne,  and  see  it  occupied,  and  go 
on  our  way  rejoicing.  The  Lord  Jesus  settled  every- 
thing on  the  cross  on  behalf  of  His  people  ;  and  the 
proof  of  this  settlement  is  that  He  is  now  at  the 


116  EXODUS. 

right  hand  of  God.  •  A  risen  Christ  is  the  eternal 
proof  of  an  accomplished  redemption ;  and  if  re- 
demption is  an  accomplished  fact,  the  believer's 
peace  is  a  settled  reality.  We  did  not  make  peace, 
and  never  could  make  it ;  indeed,  any  effort  on  our 
part  to  make  peace  could  only  tend  more  fully  to 
manifest  us  as  peace-breakers.  But  Christ,  having 
made  peace  by  the  blood  of  His  cross,  has  taken  His 
seat  on  high,  triumphant  over  every  enemy.  By  Him, 
God  preaches  peace.  The  word  of  the  gospel  con- 
veys this  peace  ;  and  the  soul  that  believes  the  gospel, 
has  peace — settled  peace  before  God,  for  Christ  is 
his  peace.  (See  Acts  x.  36  ;  Rom.  v.  1 ;  Eph.  ii.  14  ; 
Col.  i.  20.)  In  this  way,  God  has  not  only  satisfied 
His  own  claims,  but,  in  doing  so,  He  lias  found  out 
a  divinely  righteous  vent  through  which  His  bound- 
less affections  may  flow  down  to  the  guiltiest  of 
Adam's  guilty  prog*eny. 

Then,  as  to  the  practical  result  of  all  this.  The 
cross  of  Christ  has  not  only  put  away  the  believer's 
sins,  but  also  dissolved  forever  his  connection  with 
the  world ;  and,  on  the  ground  of  this,  he  is  privi- 
leged to  regard  the  world  as  a  crucified  thing,  and  to 
be  regarded  by  it  as  a  crucified  one.  Thus  it  stands 
with  the  believer  and  the  world, — it  is  crucified  to 
him  and  he  to  it.  .  This  is  the  real,  dignified  position 
of  every  true  Christian.  The  world's  judgment 
about  Christ  was  expressed  in  the  position  in  which 
it  deliberately  placed  Him.  It  got  its  choice  as  to 
whether  it  would  have  a  murderer  or  Christ.  It 
allowed  the  murderer  to  go  free,  but  nailed  Christ  to 


CHAPTERS    VII-XI.  117 

the  cross,  between  two  thieves.  Now,  if  the  believer 
walks  in  the  footprints  of  Christ — if  he  drinks  into 
and  manifests  His  spirit,  he  will  occupy  the  very 
same  place  in  the  world's  estimation ;  and,  in  this 
wa}T,  he  will  not  merely  know  that,  as  to  standing 
before  God,  he  is  crucified  with  Christ,  but  be  led  to 
realize  it  in  his  walk  and  experience  every  day. 

But  while  the  cross  has  thus  effectually  cut  the 
connection  between  the  believer  and  the  world,  the 
resurrection  has  brought  him  into  the  power  of  new 
ties  and  associations.  If  in  the  cross  we  see  the 
world's  judgment  about  Christ,  in  resurrection  we 
see  God's  judgment.  The  world  crucified  Him,  but 
"God  hath  highly  exalted  Him."  Man  gave  Him 
the  very  lowest,  God  the  very  highest,  place ;  and, 
inasmuch  as  the  believer  is  called  into  full  fellowship 
with  God  in  His  thoughts  about  Christ,  he  is  enabled 
to  turn  the  tables  upon  the  world,  and  look  upon  it 
as  a  crucified  thing.  If,  therefore,  the  believer  is  on 
one  cross  and  the  world  on  another,  the  moral  dis- 
tance between  the  two  is  vast  indeed.  And  if  it  is 
vast  in  principle,  so  should  it  be  in  practice.  The 
world  and  the  Christian  should  have  absolutely 
nothing  in  common  ;  nor  will  they,  except  so  far  as 
he  denies  his  Lord  and  Master.  The  believer  proves 
himself  false  to  Christ  to  the  very  same  degree  that 
he  has  fellowship  with  the  world. 

All  this  is  plain  enough ;  but,  my  beloved  Chris- 
tian reader,  where  does  it  put  us  as  regards  this 
world  ?  Truly,  it  puts  us  outside,  and  that  com- 
pletely. We  are  dead  to  the  world  and  alive  with 
9 


118  EXODUS. 

Christ.  We  are  at  once  partakers  of  His  rejection 
by  earth  and  His  acceptance  in  heaven  ;  and  the  joy 
of  the  latter  makes  us  count  as  nothing  the  trial 
connected  with  the  former.  To  be  cast  out  of  earth, 
without  knowing  that  I  have  a  place  and  a  portion 
on  high,  would  be  intolerable  ;  but  when  the  glories 
of  heaven  fill  the  soul's  vision,  a  little  of  earth  goes 
a  great  way. 

But  some  may  feel  led  to  ask,  What  is  the  world? 
It  would  be  difficult  to  find  a  term  more  inaccurately 
defined  than  "world,"  or  "  worldliness  ;  "  for  we  are 
generally  disposed  to  make  worldliness  begin  a  point 
or  two  above  where  we  are  ourselves.  The  Word  of 
God,  however,  has,  with  perfect  precision,  defined 
what  "the  world"  is,  when  it  marks  it  as  that  which 
is  "not  of  the  Father."  Hence,  the  deeper  my 
fellowship  with  the  Father,  the  keener  will  be  my 
sense  of  what  is  worldly.  This  is  the -divine  way  of 
teaching.  The  more  you  delight  in  the  Father's 
love,  "the  more  you  reject  the  world.  But  who  re- 
veals the  Father  ?  The  Son.  How  ?  By  the  power 
of  the  Holy  Ghost.  Wherefore,  the  more  I  am  en- 
abled, in  the  power  of  an  ungrieved  Spirit,  to  drink 
in  the  Son's  revelation  of  the  Father,  the  more  accu- 
rate does  my  judgment  become  as  to  what  is  of  the 
woild.  It  is  as  the  limits  of  God's  kingdom  expand 
in  the  heart,  that  the  judgment  as  to  worldliness 
becomes  refined.  You  can  hardly  attempt  to  define 
worldliness.  It  is,  as  some  one  has  said,  "shaded 
off  gradually  from  white  to  jet  black."  This  is  most 
true.  You  cannot  place  a  bound  and  say,  Here  is 


CHAPTERS    VII-XI.  119 

where  worldliriesa  begins;  but  the  keen  and  exqui- 
site sensibilities  of  the  divine  nature  recoil  from  it ; 
and  all  we  need  is,  to  walk  in  the  power  of  that 
nature,  in  order  to  keep  aloof  from  every  form  of 
worldliness.  "Walk  in  the  Spirit,  and  ye  shall  not 
fulfill  the  lusts  of  the  flesh.''  Walk  with  God,  and 
ye  shall  not  walk  with  the  world.  Cold  distinctions 
and  rigid  rules  will  avail  nothing.  The  power  of 
the  divine  life  is  what  we  want.  We  want  to  under- 
stand the  meaning  and  spiritual  application  of  the 
"three  days'  journey  into  the  wilderness,"  whereby 
we  are  separated  forever,  not  only  from  Egypt's 
brick-kilns  and  taskmasters,  but  also  from  its  tem- 
ples and  altars. 

Pharaoh's  second  objection  partook  very  much  of 
the  character  and  tendency  of  the  first.  "And 
Pharaoh  said,  'I  will  let  you  go,  that  ye  may  sacri- 
fice unto  the  Lord  your  God  in  the  wilderness  ;  only 
ye  shall  not  go  very  far  away.1  "  (Chap.  viii.  28.)  If 
he  could  not  keep  them  in  Egypt,  he  would  at  least 
seek  to  keep  them  nearii,  so  that  he  might  act  upon 
them  by  its  varied  influences.  In  this  way,  they 
might  be  brought  back  again,  and  the  testimony 
more  effectually  quashed  than  if  they  had  never  left 
Egypt  at  all.  There  is  always  much  more  serious 
damage  done  to  the  cause  of  Christ  by  persons 
seeming  to  give  up  the  world  and  returning  to  it 
again,  than  if  they  had  remained  entirely  of  it ;  for 
they  virtually  confess  that,  having  tried  heavenly 
things,  they  have  discovered  that  earthly  things  are 
better  and  more  satisfying. 


120  EXODUS. 

Nor  is  this  all.  The  moral  effect  of  truth  upon 
the  conscience  of  unconverted  people  is  sadly  inter- 
fered with,  by  the  example  of  professors  going  back 
again  into  those  tilings  which  they  seemed  to  have 
left.  Not  that  such  cases  afford  the  slightest  war- 
rant to  any  one  for  the  rejection  of  God's  truth, 
inasmuch  as  each  one  is  personally  responsible  and 
will  have  to  give  account  of  himself  to  God.  Still, 
however,  the  effect  in  this,  as  well  as  in  everything 
else,  is  bad.  "For  if  after  they  have  escaped  the 
pollutions  of  the  world,  through  the  knowledge  of 
the  Lord  and  Saviour  Jesus  Christ,  they  are  again 
entangled  therein  and  overcome,  the  latter  end  is 
worse  with  them  than  the  beginning.  For  it  would 
have  been  better  for  them  not  to  have  known  the 
way  of  righteousness  than,  after  t^hey  have  known  it, 
to  turn  from  the  holy  commandment  delivered  unto 
them."  (2  Peter  li.  20,  21.) 

Wherefore,  if  people  do  not  "go  very  far  away," 
they  had  better  not  go  at  all.  The  enemy  knew  this 
well ;  and  hence  his  second  objection.  The  main- 
tenance of  a  border  position  suits  his  purpose  amaz- 
ingly. Those  who  occupy  this  ground  are  neither 
one  thing  nor  the  other ;  arid,  in  point  of  fact,  what- 
ever influence  they  possess,  telis  entirely  in  the 
wrong  direction. 

It  is  deeply  important  to  see  that  Satan's  design, 
in  all  these  objections,  was  to  hinder  that  testimony 
to  the  name  of  the  God  of  Israel,  which  could  only 
be  rendered  by  a  "  three  days'  journey  into  the 
wilderness."  This  was,  in  good  truth,  going  "very 


CHAPTERS    VII-XT.  121 

far  away.'*  It  was  much  farther  than  Pharaoh  could 
form  any  idea  of,  or  than  he  could  follow  them. 
And  oh  !  how  happy  it  would  be  if  all  who  profess 
to  set  out  from  Egypt  would  really,  in  the  spirit  of 
their  minds  and  in  the  tone  of  their  character,  go 
thus  far  away  from  it ;  if  they  would  intelligently 
recognize  the  cross  and  grave  of  Christ  as  forming 
the  boundary  between  them  and  the  world  !  No 
man,  in  the  mere  energy  of  nature,  can  take  this 
ground.  The  Psalmist  could  say,  "Enter  not  into 
judgment  with  Thy  servant,  for  in  Thy  sight  shall  no 
man  living  be  justified."  (Ps.  cxliii.  2.)  So  also  is 
it  with  regard  to  true  and  effectual  separation  from 
the  world.  "No  man  living"  can  enter  into  it.  It 
is  only  as  "dead  with  Christ,"  and  "risen  again  with 
Him,  through  faith  of  the  operation  of  God,"  that 
any  one  can  either  be  "justified"  before  God,  or 
separated  from  the  world.  This  is  what  we  may  call 
•going  "very  far  away."  May  all  who  profess  and 
call  themselves  Christians  go  jthns  far.  Then  will 
their  lamp  yield  a  steady  light.  Then  would  their 
trumpet  give  a  certain  sound.  Their  path  would  be 
elevated  ;  their  experience  deep  and  rich  ;  their  peace 
would  flow  as  a  river  ;  their  affections  would  be  heav- 
enly and  their  garments  unspotted.  And,  far  above 
all,  the  name  of  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ  would  be 
magnified  in  them,  by  the  power  of  the  Holy  Ghost, 
according  to  the  will  of  God  their  Father. 

The  third  objection  demands  our  most  special 
attention.  "And  Moses  and  Aaron  were  brought 
again  unto  Pharaoh :  and  he  said  unto  them,  'Go, 


122  EXODUS. 

serve  the  Lord  your  God ;  "but  who  are  they  that 
shall  go  ?  '  And  Moses  said,  'We  will  go  with  our 
young  and  with  our  old,  with  our  sons  and  with  our 
daughters,  with  our  flocks  and  with  our  herds  will 
we  go;  for  we  must  hold  a  feast  unto  the  Lord.' 
And  he  said  unto  them,  'Let  the  Lord  be  so  with 
you,  as  I  will  let  you  go,  and  your  little  ones:  look 
to  it ;  for  evil  is  before  you.  Not  so ;  go  now  ye 
that  are  men,  and  serve  the  Lord ;  for  that  ye  did 
desire.'  And  they  were  driven  out  from  Pharaoh's 
presence."  (Chap.  x.  8-11.)  Here,  again,  we  have 
the  enemy  aiming  a  deadly  blow  at  the  testimony  to 
the  name  of  the  God  of  Israel.  Parents  in  the  wil- 
derness and  their  children  in  Egypt !  Terrible  anom- 
aly !  This  would  only  have  been  a  half  deliverance, 
at  once  useless  to  Israel  and  dishonoring  to  Israel's 
God.  This  could  not  be.  If  the  children  remained 
in  Egypt,  the  parents  could  not  possibly  be  said  to 
have  left  it,  inasmuch  as  their  children  were  part  of 
themselves.  The  most  that  could  be  said  in  such  a 
case  was,  that  in  part  they  were  serving  Jehovah, 
and  in  part  Pharaoh.  But  Jehovah  could  have  no 
part  with  Pharaoh.  He  should  either  have  all  or 
nothing.  This  is  a  weighty  principle  for  Christian 
parents.  May  we  lay  it  deeply  to  heart  !  It  is  our 
happy  privilege  to  count  on  God  for  our  children, 
and  to  "bring  them  np  in  the  nurture  and  admoni- 
tion of  the  Lord."  (Eph.  vi.)  We  should  not  be 
satisfied  with  any  other  portion  for  "our  little  ones  " 
than  that  which  we  ourselves  enjoy. 

Pharaoh's  fourth  and  last  objection  had  reference 


CHAPTERS    V1T-XI.        *  123 

to  the  flocks  and  herds.  "And  Pharaoh  called  unto 
Moses,  and  said,  4  Go  ye,  serve  the  Lord ;  only  let 
your  flocks  and  herds  be  stayed :  let  your  little  ones 
also  go  with  you/  "  (Chap.  x.  24.)  With  what  per- 
severance did  Satan  dispute  every  inch  of  Israel's 
way  out  of  the  land  of  Egypt  !  He  first  sought  to 
keep  them  in  the  land,  then  to  keep  them  near  the 
land,  next  to  keep  part  of  themselves  in  the  land, 
and  finally,  when  he  could  not  succeed  in  any  of 
these  three,  he  sought  to  send  them  forth  without 
any  ability  to  serve  the  Lord.  If  he  could  not  keep 
the  servants,  he  would  seek  to  keep  their  ability  to 
serve,  which  would  answer  much  the  same  end.  If 
he  could  not  induce  them  to  sacrifice  in  the  land,  he 
would  send  them  out  of  the  land  without  sacrifices. 

In  Moses'  reply  to  this  last  objection,  we  are  fur- 
nished with  a  fine  statement  of  the  Lord's  paramount 
claim  upon  His  people  and  all  pertaining  to  them. 
"And  Moses  said,  l  Thou  must  give  us  also  sacrifices 
and  burnt  offerings,  that  we  may  sacrifice  unto  the 
Lord  our  God.  Our  cattle  also  shall  go  with  us ; 
there  shall  not  a  hoof  be  left  behind:  for  thereof  must 
we  take  to  serve  the  Lord  our  God  ;  and  we  know 
not  with  what  we  must  serve  the  Lord  until  we  come 
thither.'  "  (Ver.  25,  2G.)  It  is  only  when  the  people 
of  God  take  their  stand,  in  simple  childlike  faith, 
upon  that  elevated  ground  on  which  death  and  res- 
urrection set  them,  that  they  can  have  anything  like 
an  adequate  sense  of  His  claims  upon  them.  "We 
know  not  with  what  we  must  serve  the  Lord  until  we 
come  thither."  That  is,  they  had  no  knowledge  of 


124  EXODUS. 

the  divine  claim,  or  their  responsibility,  until  they 
had  gone  "three  days'  journey."  These  things  could 
not  be  known  amid  the  dense  and  polluted  atmos- 
phere of  Egypt.  Redemption  must  be  known  as  an 
accomplished  fact,  ere  there  can  be  any  just  or  full 
perception  of  responsibility.  All  this  is  perfect  and 
beautiful.  "If  any  man  will  do  His  will,  he  shall 
know  of  the  doctrine."  I  must  be  up  out  of  Egypt, 
in  the  power  of  death  and  resurrection,  and  then, 
but  not  until  then,  shall  I  know  what  the  Lord's 
service  really  is.  It  is  when  we  take  our  stand,  by 
faith,  in  that  "large  room,"  that  wealthy  place  into 
which  the  precious  blood  of  Christ  introduces  us, — 
when  we  look  around  us  and  survey  the  rich,  rare, 
and  manifold  results  of  redeeming  love, — when  we 
gaze  upon  the  Person  of  Him  who  has  brought  us 
into  this  place,  and  endowed  us  with  these  riches, 
then  we  are  constrained  to  say,  in  the  language  of 
one  of  our  own  poets, — 

"Were  the  whole  realm  of  nature  mine, 
That  were  an  offering  far  too  small; 
Love  so  amazing,  so  divine, 
Demands  my  heart,  my  life,  my  all." 

"There  shall  not  a  hoof  be  left  behind."  Noble 
words  !  Egypt  is  not  the  place  for  aught  that  per- 
tains to  God's  redeemed.  He  is  worthy  of  all — 
"body,  soul,  and  spirit ;  "  all  we  are  and  all  we  have 
belongs  to  Him.  "We  are  not  our  own,  we  are 
bought  with  a  price  ; ' '  and  it  is  our  happy  privilege 
to  consecrate  ourselves  and  all  that  we  possess  to 
Him  whose  we  are,  and  Him  whom  we  are  called  to 


CHAPTERS    VII-XI.  125 

serve.  There  is  naught  of  a  legal  spirit  in  this.  The 
words,  " until  we  come  thither,"  furnish  a  divine 
guard  against  this  horrible  evil.  We  have  traveled 
the  " three  days'  journey,"  ere  a  word  concerning 
sacrifice  can  be  heard  or  understood.  We  are  put 
in  full  and  undisputed  possession  of  resurrection 
life  and  eternal  righteousness.  We  have  left  that 
land  of  death  and  darkness ;  we  have  been  brought 

'  O 

to  God  Himself,  so  that  we  may  enjoy  Him,  in  the 
energy  of  that  life  with  which  we  are  endowed,  and 
in  the  sphere  of  righteousness  in  which  we  are  placed : 
thus  it  is  our  joy  to  serve.  There  is  not  an  affection 
in  the  heart  of  which  He  is  not  worthy ;  there  is  not 
a  sacrifice  in  all  the  flock  too  costly  for  His  altar. 
The  more  closely  we  walk  with  Him,  the  more  we 
shall  esteem  it  to  be  our  meat  and  drink  to  do  His 
blessed  will.  The  believer  counts  it  his  highest 
privilege  to  serve  the  Lord.  He  delights  in  every 
exercise  and  every  manifestation  of  the  divine  nature. 
He  does  not  move  up  and  down  with  a  grievous  yoke 
upon  his  neck,  or  an  intolerable  weight  upon  his 
shoulder.  The  yoke  is  broken  "because  of  the 
anointing,"  the  burden  has  been  forever  removed 
by  the  blood  of  the  cross,  while  he  himself  walks 
abroad,  "redeemed,  regenerated,  and  disenthralled," 
in  pursuance  of  those  soul-stirring  words,  "LET 
MY  PEOPLE  GO." 

NOTE. — We  shall  consider  the  contents  of  chapter  xi.  in  con- 
nection with  the  security  of  Israel,  under  the  shelter  of  the 
blood  of  the  paschal  lamb. 


CHAPTER  XII. 

M  4  KD  the  Lord  said  unto  Moses,  'Yet  will  I  bring 
•^JL  one  plague  more  upon  Pharaoh,  and  upon 
Egypt ;  afterwards  he  will  let  you  go  hence :  when 
he  shall  let  you  go,  he  shall  surely  thrust  you  out 
hence  altogether.'  "  (Chap.  xi.  1.)  One  more  heavy 
blow  must  fall  upon  this  hard-hearted  monarch  and 
his  land  ere  he  will  be  compelled  to  let  go  the  favored 
objects  of  Jehovah's  sovereign  grace. 

How  utterly  vain  it  is  for  man  to  harden  and  exalt 
himself  against  God ;  for,  truly,  He  can  grind  to 
powder  the  hardest  heart,  and  bring  down  to  the 
dust  the  haughtiest  spirit.  "  Those  that  walk  in 
pride  He  is  able  to  abase."  (Dan.  iv.  37.)  Man 
may  fancy  himself  to  be  something ;  he  may  lift  up 
his  head,  in  pomp  and  vainglory,  as  though  he  were 
his  own  master.  Vain  man  !  how  little  he  knows  of 
his  real  condition  and  character !  He  is  but  the  tool 
of  Satan,  taken  up  and  used  by  him,  in  his  malignant 
efforts  to  counteract  the  purposes  of  God.  The  most 
splendid  intellect,  the  most  commanding  genius,  the 
most  indomitable  energy,  if  not  under  the  direct 
control  of  the  Spirit  of  God,  are  but  so  many  instru- 
ments in  Satan's  hand  to  carry  forward  his  dark 
designs.  No  man  is  his  own  master ;  he  is  either 
governed  by  Christ  or  governed  by  Satan.  The  king 
of  Egypt  might  fancy  himself  to  be  a  free  agent,  yet 
he  was  but  a  tool  in  the  hands  of  another.  Satan 


CHAPTER    XII.  127 

was  behind  the  throne ;  and,  as  the  result  of  Pha- 
raoh's having  set  himself  to  resist  the  purposes  of 
God,  he  was  judicially  handed  over  to  the  blinding 
and  hardening  influence  of  his  self-chosen  master. 

This  will  explain  to  us  an  expression  occurring 
very  frequently  throughout  the  earlier  chapters  of 
this  book, — "The  Lord  hardened  Pharaoh's  heart." 
There  is  no  need  whatever  for  any  one  to  seek  to 
avoid  the  full,  plain  sense  of  this  most  solemn  state- 
ment. If  man  resists  the  light  of  divine  testimony, 
he  is  shut  up  to  judicial  blindness  and  hardness  of 
heart.  God  leaves  him  to  himself,  and  then  Satan 
comes  in  and  carries  him  headlong  to  perdition. 
There  was  abundant  light  for  Pharaoh,  to  show  him 
the  extravagant  folly  of  his  course  in  seeking  to 
detain  those  whom  God  had  commanded  him  to  let 
go.  But  the  real  disposition  of  his  heart  was  to  act 
against  God,  and  therefore  God  left  him  to  himself, 
and  made  him  a  monument  for  the  display  of  His 
glory  "through  all  the  earth."  There  is  no  difficulty 
in  this  to  any,  save  those  whose  desire  is  to  argue 
against  God — "to  rush  upon  the  thick  bosses  of  the 
shield  of  the  Almighty" — to  ruin  their  own  immortal 
souls. 

God  gives  people,  at  times,  according  to  the  real 
bent  of  their  hearts'  desire.  ".  .  .  .  because  of 
this,  God  shall  send  them  strong  delusion,  that  they 
should  believe  a  lie  ;  that  they  all  might  be  damned 
who  believed  not  the  truth,  but  had  pleasure  in  un- 
righteousness." (2  Thess.  ii.  11.  12.)  If  men  will 
not  have  the  truth  when  it  is  put  before  them,  they 


128  EXODUS. 

shall  assuredly  have  a  lie.  If  they  will  not  have. 
Christ,  they  shall  have  Satan  ;  if  they  will  not  have 
heaven,  they  shall  have  hell.*  Will  the  infidel  mind 
find  fault  with  this  ?  Ere  it  does  so,  let  it  prove  that 
all  who  are  thus  judicially  dealt  with  have  fully  an- 
swered their  responsibilities.  Let  it,  for  instance, 
prove,  in  Pharaoh's  case,  that  he  acted,  in  any 
measure,  up  to  the  light  he  possessed.  The  same  is 
to  be  proved  in  every  case.  Unquestionably,  the 
task  of  proving  rests  on  those  who  are  disposed  to 
quarrel  with  God's  mode  of  dealing  with  the  rejecters 
of  His  truth.  The  simple-hearted  child  of  God  will 
justify  Him,  in  view  of  the  most  inscrutable  dispen- 
sations ;  and  even  if  he  cannot  meet  and  satisfac- 
torily solve  the  difficult  questions  of  a  sceptical 
mind,  he  can  rest  perfectly  satisfied  with  this  word, 
"Shall  not  the  Judge  of  all  the  earth  do  right?" 
There  is  far  more  wisdom  in  this  method  of  settling 
an  apparent  difficulty,  than  in  the  most  elaborate 
argument ;  for  it  is  perfectly  certain  that  the  heart 
which  is  in  a  condition  to  "reply  against  God," 

*  There  is  a  vast  difference  between  the  divine  method  of  dealing 
with  the  heathen  (Rom.  i.)  and  with  the  rejecters  of  the  gospel. 
(2  Thess.  i.  ii.)  In  reference  to  the  former,  we  read,  "And  even  as 
they  did  not  like  to  retain  God  in  their  knowledge,  God  gave  them 
over  to  a  reprobate  mind : "  but  with  respect  to  the  latter,  the  word 
is,  "Because  they  received  not  the  love  of  the  truth  that  they  might 

te  saved, God  shall  send  them  strong  delusion,  that  they 

should  believe  a  lie;  that  they  all  might  be  damned."  The  heathen 
refuse  the  testimony  of  creation,  and  are  therefore  left  to  them- 
selves. The  rejecters  of  the  gospel  refuse  the  full  blaze  of  light 
which  shines  from  the  cross,  and  therefore  "a  strong  delusion" 
will,  ere  long,  be  sent  from  God  upon  them.  This  is  deeply  solemn 
for  an  age  like  this,  in  the  which  there  is  so  much  light  and  so 
much  profession. 


CHAPTER    XII.  129 

will  not  be  convinced  by  the  arguments  of  man. 

However,  it  is  God's  prerogative  to  answer  all  the 
proud  reasonings,  and  bring  down  the  lofty  imagina- 
tions of  the  human  mind.  He  can  write  the  sentence 
of  death  upon  nature,  in  its  fairest  forms.  "It  is 
appointed  unto  men  once  to  die."  This  cannot  be 
avoided.  Man  may  seek  to  hide  his  humiliation  in 
various  ways, — to  cover  his  retreat  through  the 
valley  of  death  in  the  most  heroic  manner  possible, 
— to  call  the  last  humiliating  stage  of  his  career  by 
the  most  honorable  titles  he  can  devise, — to  gild  the 
bed  of  death  with  a  false  light, — to  adorn  the  funeral 
procession  and  the  grave  with  the  appearance  of 
pomp,  pageantry,  and  glory, — to  raise  above  the 
mouldering  ashes  a  splendid  monument,  on  which 
are  engraven  the  records  of  human  shame, — all  these 
things  he  may  do  ;  but  death  is  death  after  all,  and 
he  cannot  keep  it  off  for  a  moment,  or  make  it  aught 
else  than  what  it  is,  namely,  "the  wages  of  sin." 

The  foregoing  thoughts  are  suggested  by  the 
opening  verse  of  chapter  xi — "One  plague  more  !  " 
Solemn  word!  It  signed  the  death-warrant  of 
Egypt's  first-born — "the  chief  of  all  their  strength." 
"And  Moses  said,  'Thus  saith  the  Lord,  About 
midnight  will  I  go  out  into  the  midst  of  Egypt ;  and 
all  the  first-born  in  the  land  of  Egypt  shall  die,  from 
the  first-born  of  Pharaoh  that  sitteth  upon  his  throne, 
even  unto  the  first-born  of  the  maid-servant  that  is 
behind  the  mill ;  and  all  the  first-born  of  beasts. 
And  there  shall  be  a  great  fry  throughout  all  the 
land  of  Egypt,  such  as  there  was  none  like  it,  nor 


130  EXODUS. 

shall  be  like  it  any  more.'  "  (Chap.  xi.  4-6.)  This 
was  to  be  the  final  plague — death  in  every  house. 
"But  against  any  of  the  children  of  Israel  shall  not 
a  dog  move  his  tongue,  against  man  or  beast ;  that 
ye  may  know  how  that  the  Lord  doth  put  a  difference 
between  the  Egyptians  and  Israel."  It  is  the  Lord 
alone  who  can,  "put  a  difference"  between  those 
who  are  His  and  those  who  are  not.  It  is  not  our 
province  to  say  to  any  one,  "Stand  by  thyself;  I  am 
holier  than  thou:  "  this  is  the  language  of  a  Phari- 
see. "But  when  God  puts  a  difference,"  we  are 
bound  to  inquire  what  that  difference  is  ;  and,  in  the 
case  before  us,  we  see  it  to  be  a  simple  question  of 
life  or  death.  This  is  God's  grand  "difference." 
He  draws  a  line  of  demarkation,  and  on  one  side  of 
this  line  is  "life,"  on  the  other  "death."  Many  of 
Egypt's  first-born  might  have  been  as  fair  and  at- 
tractive as  those  of  Israel,  and  much  more  so ;  but 
Israel  had  life  and  light,  founded  upon  God's  coun- 
sels of  redeeming  love,  established,  as  we  shall  see 
presently,  by  the  blood  of  the  lamb.  This  was 
Israel's  happy  position  ;  while,  on  the  other  hand, 
throughout  the  length  and  breadth  of  the  land  of 
Egypt,  from  the  monarch  on  the  throne  to  the  menial 
behind  the  mill,  nothing  was  to  be  seen  but  death; 
nothing  to  be  heard  but  the  cry  of  bitter  anguish, 
elicited  by  the  heavy  stroke  of  Jehovah's  rod.  God 
can  bring  down  the  haughty  spirit  of  man.  He  can 
make  the  wrath  of  man  to  praise  Him,  and  restrain 
the  remainder.  "And  all  these  .thy  servants  shall 
come  down  unto  me,  and  bow  down  themselves 


CHAPTER    XII.  131 

unto  me,  saying,  Get  thee  out,  and  all  the  people 
that  follow  thee:  and  after  that  I  will  go  out." 
God  will  accomplish  His  own  ends.  His  schemes 
of  mercy  must  be  carried  out  at  all  cost,  and  con- 
fusion of  face  must  be  the  portion  of  all  who  stand 
in  the  way.  "  O,  give  thanks  unto  the  Lord;  for 
lie  is  good :  for  His  mercy  endureth  forever.  .  .  . 
.  .  .  To  Him  that  smote  Egypt  in  their  first-born  ; 
for  His  mercy  endureth  forever:  and  brought  out 
Israel  from  among  them ;  for  His  mercy  endureth 
forever :  with  a  strong  hand  and  with  a  stretched-olit 
arm  ;  for  His  mercy  endureth  forever. "(I*8-  cxxxvi.) 

"  And  the  Lord  spake  unto  Moses  and  Aaron  in 
the  land  of  Eg}'pt,  saying,  'This  month  shall  be  unto 
you  the  beginning  of  months :  it  shall  be  the  first 
month  of  the  year  to  you.'  "  (Chap.  xii.  1,  2. )  There 
is  here  a  very  interesting  change  in  the  order  of 
time.  The  common  or  civil  year  was  rolling  on  in 
its  ordinary  course,  when  Jehovah  interrupted  it  in 
reference  to  His  people,  and  thus,  in  principle,  taught 
them  that  they  were  to  begin  a  new  era  in  company 
with  Him  ;  their  previous  history  was  henceforth  to 
be  regarded  as  a  blank.  Redemption  was  to  consti- 
tute the  first  step  in  real  life. 

This  teaches  a  plain  truth.  A  man's  life  is  really 
of  no  account  until  he  begins  to  walk  with  God,  in 
the  knowledge  of  full  salvation  and  settled  peace, 
through  the  precious  blood  of  the  Lamb.  Previous 
to  this,  he  is,  in  the  judgment  of  God,  and  in  the 
language  of  Scripture,  "dead  in  trespasses  and  sins  ;" 
4  c  alienated  from  the  life  of  God. ' '  His  whole  history 


132  EXODUS. 

is  a  complete  blank,  even  though,  in  man's  account, 
it  may  have  been  one  uninterrupted  scene  of  bus- 
tling activity.  All  that  which  engages  the  attention 
of  the  man  of  this  world — the  honors,  the  riches, 
the  pleasures,  the  attractions  of  life,  so  called — all, 
when  examined  in  the  light  of  the  judgment  of  God, 
when  weighed  in  the  balances  of  the  sanctuary,  must 
be  accounted  as  a  dismal  blank,  a  worthless  void, 
utterly  unworthy  of  a  place  in  the  records  of  the 
Holy  Ghost.  "He  that  believeth  not  the  Son  shall 
not  see  life."  (John  iii.  36.)  Men  speak  of  "seeing 
life"  when  they  launch  forth  into  society,  travel 
hither  and  thither,  and  see  all  that  is  to  be  seen ; 
but  they  forget  that  the  only  true,  the  only  real,  the 
only  divine  way  to  "see  life,"  is  to  "believe  on  the 
Son  of  God." 

How  little  do  men  think  of  this !  They  imagine 
that 4  c  real  life  "  is  at  an  end  when  a  man  becomes  a 
Christian,  in  truth  and  reality,  not  merely  in  name  and 
outward  profession  ;  whereas  God's  Word  teaches  us  , 
that  it  is  only  then  we  can  see  life  and  taste  true 
happiness. — "He  that  hath  the  Son,  hath  life." 
(1  John  v.  12.)  And,  again,  "Happy  is  he  whose 
transgression  is  forgiven,  whose  sin  is  covered." 
(Ps.  xxxii.  1.)  We  can  get  life  and  happiness  only 
in  Christ.  Apart  from  Him,  all  is  death  and  misery, 
in  Heaven's  judgment,  whatever  the  outward  appear- 
ance may  be.  It  is  when  the  thick  vail  of  unbelief 
is  removed  from  the  heart,  and  we  are  enabled  to 
behold,  with  the  eye  of  faith,  the  bleeding  Lamb, 
bearing  our  heavy  burden  of  guilt  upon  the  cursed 


CHAPTER    XII.  .  133 

tree,  that  we  enter  upon  the  path  of  life,  and  par- 
take of  the  cup  of  divine  happiness, — a  life  which 
begins  at  the  cross,  and  flows  onward  into  an  eternity 
of  glory, — a  happiness  which,  each  day,  becomes 
deeper  and  purer,  more  connected  with  God  and 
founded  on  Christ,  until  we  reach  its  proper  sphere, 
in  the  presence  of  God  and  the  Lamb.  To  seek  life 
and  happiness  in  any  other  way  is  Arainer  work  by 
far  than  seeking  to  make  bricks  without  straw. 

True,  the  enemy  of  souls  spreads  a  gilding  over 
this  passing  scene,  in  order  that  men  may  imagine 
it  to  be  all  gold.  He  sets  up  many  a  puppet-show 
to  elicit  the  hollow  laugh  from  a  thoughtless  multi- 
tude, who  will  not  remember  that  it  is  Satan  who  is 
in  the  box,  and  that  his  object  is  to  keep  them  from 
Christ,  and  clrag  them  down  into  eternal  perdition. 
There  is  nothing  real,  nothing  solid,  nothing  satisfy- 
ing, but  in  Christ.  Outside  of  Him,  "all  is  vanity 
and  vexation  of  spirit."  In  Him  alone  true  and 
eternal  joys  are  to  be  found ;  and  we  only  begin  to 
live  when  we  begin  to  live  m,  live  o?i,  live  with,  and. 
live  for  Him.  "This  month  shall  be  unto  you  the 
beginning  of  months :  it  shall  be  the  first  month  of 
the  year  to  you."  The  time  spent  in  the  brick-kilns 
and  by  the  flesh-pots  must  be  ignored.  It  is  hence- 
forth to  be  of  no  account,  save  that  the  remembrance 
thereof  should  ever  and  anon  serve  to  quicken  and 
deepen  their  sense  of  what  divine  grace  had  accom- 
plished on  their  behalf. 

"Speak  ye  unto  all  the  congregation  of  Israel, 
saying,  In  the  tenth  day  of  this  month  they  shall 
10 


134  EXODUS. 

take  to  them  every  man  a  lamb  according  to  the 

house  of  their  fathers,  a  lamb  for  a  house 

Your  lamb  shall  be  without  blemish,  a  male  of  the 
first  year  ;  ye  shall  take  it  out  from  the  sheep  or  from 
the  goats :  and  ye  shall  keep  it  up  until  the  four- 
teenth day  of  the  same  month;  and  the  whole 
assembly  of  the  congregation  of  Israel  shall  kill  it  in 
the  evening."  Here  we  have  the  redemption  of  the 
people  founded  upon  the  blood  of  the  lamb,  in  pur- 
suance of  God's  eternal  purpose.  This  imparts  to 
it  all  its  divine  stability.  Redemption  was  no  after- 
thought with  God.  Before  the  world  was,  or  Satan, 
or  sin — before  ever  the  voice  of  God  was  heard 
breaking  the  silence  of  eternity,  and  calling  worlds 
into  existence,  He  had  His  deep  counsels  of  love ; 
and  these  counsels  could  never  find  a  sufficiently 
solid  basis  in  creation.  All  the  blessings,  the  privi- 
leges, and  the  dignities  of  creation  were  founded 
upon  a  creature's  obedience,  and  the  moment  that 
failed,  all  was  gone.  But  then,  Satan's  attempt  to 
mar  creation  only  opened  the  way  for  the  manifesta- 
tion of  God's  deeper  purposes  of  redemption. 

This  beautiful  truth  is  typically  presented  to  us  in 
the  circumstance  of  the  lamb's  being  "kept  up" 
from  the  "tenth"  to  "the  fourteenth  da}-."  That 
this  lamb  pointed  to  Christ  is  unquestionable. 
1  Cor.  v.  7  settles  the  application  of  this  interesting 
type  beyond  all  question, — "For  even  Christ  our 
passover  is  sacrificed  for  us."  We  have,  in  the  first 
epistle  of  Peter,  an  allusion  to  the  keeping  up  of  the 
lamb, — "Forasmuch  as  ye  know  that  ye  were  not 


CHAPTER    XII.  135 

redeemed  with  corruptible  things,  as  silver  and  gold, 
from  your  vain  conversation,  received  by  tradition 
from  your  fathers ;  but  with  the  precious  blood  of 
Christ,  as  of  a  lamb  without  blemish  and  without 
spot :  who  verily  was  foreordained  before  the  founda- 
tion of  the  world,  but  was  manifest  in  these  last  times 
for  you."  (Chap.  i.  18-20.) 

All  God's  purposes  from  everlasting  had  reference 
to  Christ,  and  no  effort  of  the  enemy^  could  possibly 
interfere  with  those  counsels ;  yea,  his  efforts  only 
tended  to  the  display  of  the  unfathomable  wisdom 
and  immovable  stability  thereof.  If  the  "Lamb 
without  blemish  and  without  spot"  was  "foreor- 
dained before  the  foundation  of  the  world,"  then, 
assuredly,  redemption  must  have  been  in  the  mind 
of  God  before  the  foundation  of  the  world.  The 
blessed  One  had  not  to  pause  in  order  to  devise 
some  plan  to  remedy  the  terrible  evil  which  the 
enemy  had  introduced  into  His  fair  creation.  No  ; 
He  had  only  to  bring  forth,  from  the  unexplored 
treasury  of  His  precious  counsels,  the  truth  con- 
cerning the  spotless  Lamb,  who  was  foreordained 
from  everlasting,  and  to  be  "manifest  in  these  last 
times  for  us." 

There  was  no  need  for  the  blood  of  the  Lamb  in 
creation  as  it  came  fresh  from  the  hand  of  the 
Creator,  exhibiting,  in  every  stage  and  every  depart- 
ment of  it,  the  beauteous  impress  of  His  hand — "the 
infallible  proofs"  of  "His  eternal  power  and  God- 
head" (Eom.  i.);  but  when,  "by  one  man,"  sin 
was  introduced  into  the  world,  then  came  out  the 


136  EXODUS. 

higher,  richer,  fuller,  deeper  thought  of  redemption 
by  the  blood  of  the  Lamb.  This  glorious  truth  first 
broke  through  the  thick  clouds  which  surrounded 
our  first  parents,  as  they  retreated  from  the  garden 
of  Eden ;  its  glimmerings  appear  in  the  types  and 
shadows  of  the  Mosaic  economy  ;  it  burst  upon  the 
world  in  full  brightness  when  "the  dayspring  from 
on  high"  appeared  in  the  Person  of  "God  manifest 
in  the  flesh;"  and  its  rich  and  rare  results  will  be 
realized  when  the  white- robed,  palm-bearing  multi- 
tude shall  cluster  round  the  throne  of  God  and  the 
Lamb,  and  the  whole  creation  shall  rest  beneath  the 
peaceful  sceptre  of  the  Son  of  David. 

Now,  the  lamb  taken  on  the  tenth  day,  and  kept 
up  until  the  fourteenth  day,  shows  us  Christ  fore- 
ordained of  God  from  eternit}^,  but  manifest  for  us 
in  time.  God's  eternal  purpose  in  Christ  becomes 
the  foundation  of  the  believer's  peace.  Nothing 
short  of  this  would  do.  We  are  carried  back  far 
beyond  creation,  beyond  the  bounds  of  time,  beyond 
the  entrance  in  of  sin  and  eveiything  that  could 
possibly  affect  the  ground-work  of  our  peace.  The 
expression,  "foreordained  before  the  foundation  of 
the  world,"  conducts  us  back  into  the  unfathomed 
depths  of  eternity,  and  shows  us  God  forming  His 
own  counsels  of  redeeming  love,  and  basing  them 
all  upon  the  atoning  blood  of  His  own  precious, 
spotless  Lamb.  Christ  was  ever  the  primary  thought 
in  the  divine  mind  ;  and  hence,  the  moment  He  be- 
gan to  speak  or  act,  He  took  occasion  to  shadow 
forth  that  One  who  occupied  the  highest  place  in  His 


CHAPTER    XII.  137 

counsels  and  affections ;  and,  as  we  pass  along  the 
current  of  inspiration,  we  find  that  every  ceremony, 
every  rite,  every  ordinance,  and  every  sacrifice 
pointed  forward  to  "the  Lamb  of  God  that  taketh 
away  the  sin  of  the  world,"  and  not  one  more  strik- 
ingly than  the  passover.  The  paschal  lamb,  with  all 
the  attendant  circumstances,  forms  one  of  the  most 
profoundly  interesting  and  deeply  instructive  types 
of  Scripture. 

In  the  interpretation  of  Exodus  xii,  we  have  to  do 
with  one  assembly  and  one  sacrifice. — "The  whole 
assembly  of  the  congregation  of-  Israel  shall  kill  it 
in  the  evening."  (Ver.  G.)  It  is  not  so  much  a 
number  of  families  with  several  lambs — a  thing  quite 
true  in  itself — as  one  assembly  and  one  lamb.  Each 
house  was  but  the  local  expression  of  the  whole 
assembly  gathered  round  the  lamb.  The  antitype 
of  this  we  have  in  the  whole  Church  of  God,  gath- 
ered by  the  Holy  Ghost,  in  the  name  of  Jesus,  of 
which  each  separate  assembly,  wherever  convened, 
should  be  the  local  expression. 

"  And  they  shall  take  of  the  blood,  and  strike  it 
on  the  two  side-posts  and  on  the  upper  door-post  of 
the  houses,  wherein  they  shall  eat  it.  And  they  shall 
cat  the  flesh  in  that  night,  roast  with  fire,  and  un- 
leavened bread  ;  and  with  bitter  herbs  they  shall  eat 
it.  Eat  not  of  it  raw,  nor  sodden  at  all  with  water, 
but  roast  with  fire  ;  his  head  with  his  legs,  and  with 
the  purtenance  thereof."  (Ver.  7-0.)  We  have  to 
contemplate  the  paschal  lamb  in  two  aspects,  namely, 
as  the  ground  of  peace,  and  the  centre  of  unity. 


138  EXODUS. 

The  blood  on  the  lintel  secured  Israel's  peace.— 
4 'When  I  see  the  blood,  I  will  pass  over  you." 
(Ver.  13.)  There  was  nothing  more  required  in 
order  to  enjoy  settled  peace,  in  reference  to  the 
destroying  angel,  than  the  application  of  the  blood 
of  sprinkling.  Death  had  to  do  its  work  in  every 
house  throughout  the  land  of  Egypt.  "It  is  ap- 
pointed unto  men  once  to  die."  But  God,  in  His 
great  mercy,  found  an  unblemished  substitute  for 
Israel,  on  which  the  sentence  of  death  was  executed. 
Thus  God's  claims  and  Israel's  need  were  met  by 
one  and  the  same  thing,  namely,  the  blood  of  the 
lamb.  That  blood  outside  proved  that  all  was 
perfectly,  because  divinely,  settled;  and  therefore 
perfect  peace  reigned  within.  A  shade  of  doubt  in 
the  bosom  of  an  Israelite  would  have  been  a  dishonor 
offered  to  the  divinely  appointed  ground  of  peace — 
the  blood  of  atonement. 

True  it  is  that  each  one  within  the  blood-sprinkled 
door  would  necessarily  feel  that 'were  he  to  receive 
his  due  reward,  the  sword  of  the  destroyer  should 
most  assuredly  find  its  object  in  him  ;  but  then  the 
lamb  was  treated  in  his  stead.  This  was  the  solid 
foundation  of  his  peace.  The  judgment  that  was 
due  to  him  fell  upon  a  divinely  appointed  victim  ; 
and  believing  this,  he  could  feed  in  peace  within.  A 
single  doubt  would  have  made  Jehovah  a  liar ;  for 
He  had  said,  "When  /see  the  blood,  I  will  pass  over 
you."  This  was  enough.  It  was  no  question  of 
personal  worthiness.  Self  had  nothing  whatever  to 
do  in  the  matter.  All  under  the  cover  of  the  blood 


CHAPTER    XII.  139 

were  safe.  They  were  not  merely  in  a  salvable  state  ; 
they  were  saved.  They  were  not  hoping  or  praying 
to  be  saved ;  they  knew  it  as  an  assured  fact,  on  the 
authority  of  that  Word  which  shall  endure  through- 
out all  generations.  Moreover,  they  were  not  partly 
saved  and  partly  exposed  .to  judgment;  they  were 
wholly  saved.  The  blood  of  the  lamb  and  the  word 
of  the  Lord  formed  the  foundation  of  Israel's  peace 
on  that  terrible  night  in  which  Egypt's  first-born 
were,  laid  low.  If  a  hair  of  an  Israelite's  head  could 
be  touched,  it  would  have  proved  Jehovah's  word 
void,  and  the  blood  of  the  lamb  valueless. 

It  is  most  needful  to  be  simple  and  clear  as  to 
what  constitutes  the  ground  of  a  sinner's  peace  in 
the  presence  of  God.  So  many  things  are  mixed 
up  with  the  finished  work  of  Christ,  that  souls  are 
plunged  into  darkness  and  uncertainty  as  to  their 
acceptance.  They  do  not  see  the  absolutely  settled 
character  of  redemption  through  the  blood  of  Christ, 
in  its  application  to  themselves.  They  seem  not  to 
be  aware  that  full  forgiveness  of  sin  rests  upon  the 
simple  fact  that  a  full  atonement  has  been  offered, — 
a  fact  attested,  in  the  view  of  all  created  intelligence, 
by  the  resurrection  of  the  sinner's  Surety  from  the 
dead.  They  know  that  there  is  no  other  way  of 
being  saved  but  by  the  blood  of  the  cross  (but  the 
devils  know  this,  yet  it  avails  them  naught).  What 
is  so  much  needed  is  to  know  that  we  are  saved.  The 
Israelite  not  merely  knew  that  there  was  safety  in 
the  blood  ;  he  knew  that  he  was  safe.  And  why  safe  ? 
Was  it  because  of  anything  that  he  had  done,  or  felt, 


140  EXODUS. 

or  thought  ?  By  no  means  ;  but  because  God  had 
said,  u  When  I  see  the  blood,  I  will  pass  over  you." 
He  rested  upon  God's  testimony:  he  believed  what 
God  said,  because  God  said  it:  "he  set  to  his  seal 
that  God  was  true." 

And,  observe,  my  reader,  it  wras  not  by  his  own 
thoughts,  feelings,  or  experiences,  respecting  the 
blood,  that  the  Israelite  rested.  This  would  have 
been  a  poor,  sandy  foundation  to  rest  upon.  His 
thoughts  and  feelings  might  be  deep  or  they  might  be 
shallow ;  but,  deep  or  shallow,  they  had  nothing  to 
do  with. the  ground  of  his  peace.  It  was  not  said, 
When  you  see  the  blood,  and  value  it  as  you  ought, 
I  will  pass  over  you.  This  would  have  been  suffi- 
cient to  plunge  him  in  dark  despair  about  himself, 
inasmuch  as  it  was  quite  impossible  that  the  human 
mind  could  ever  sufficiently  appreciate  the  precious 
blood  of  the  lamb.  What  gave  peace  was  the  fact 
that  Jehovah's  eye  rested  upon  the  blood,  and  that 
He  knew  its  worth.  This  tranquilized  the  heart. 
The  blood  was  outside,  and  the  Israelite  inside,  so 
that  he  could  not  possibly  see  it ;  but  God  saw  it, 
and  that  was  quite  enough. 

The  application  of  this  to  the  question  of  a  sinner's 
peace  is  very  plain.  The  Lord  Jesus  Christ  having 
shed  His' precious  blood,  as  a  perfect  atonement  for 
sin,  has  taken  it  into  the  presence  of  God,  and 
sprinkled  it  there  ;  and  God's  testimony  assures  the 
believing  sinner  that  everything  is  settled  on  his 
behalf — settled  not  by  his  estimate  of  the  blood,  but 
by  the  blood  itself,  which  God  estimates  so  highly, 


CHAPTER    XII.  141 

that  because  of  it,  without  a  single  jot  or  tittle  added 
thereto,  He  can  righteously  forgive  all  sin,  and  accept 
the  sinner  as  perfectly  righteous  in  Christ.  How 
can  any  one  ever  enjoy  settled  peace  if  his  peace 
depends  upon  his  estimate  of  the  blood  ?  Impos- 
sible !  The  loftiest  estimate  which  the  human  mind 
can  form  of  the  blood  must  fall  infinitely  short  of  its 
divine  preciousness ;  and  therefore,  if  our  peace 
were  to  depend  upon  our  valuing  it  as  we  ought,  we 
could  no  more  enjoy  settled  peace  than  if  we  were 
seeking  it  by  "works  of  law."  There  must  either 
be  a  sufficient  ground  of  peace  in  the  blood  alone, 
or  we  can  never  have  peace.  To  mix  up  our  estimate 
with  it,  is  to  upset  the  entire  fabric  of  Christianity, 
just  as  effectually  as  if  we  were  to  conduct  the  sinner 
to  the  foot  of  mount  Sinai,  and  put  him  under  a 
covenant  of  works.  Either  Christ's  atoning  sacrifice 
is  sufficient  or  it  is  not.  If  it  is  sufficient,  why  those 
doubts  and  fears  ?  The  words  of  our  lips  profess 
that  the  work  i3  finished  ;  but  the  doubts  and  fears 
of  the  heart  declare  that  it  is  not.  Every  one  who 
doubts  his  full  and  everlasting  forgiveness,  denies, 
so  far  as  he  is  concerned,  the  completeness  of  the 
sacrifice  of  Christ. 

But  there  are  very  many  who  would  shrink  from 
the  idea  of  deliberately  and  avowedly  calling  in 
question  the  efficacy  of  the  blood  of  Christ,  who, 
nevertheless,  have  not  settled  peace.  Such  persons 
profess  to  be  quite  assured  of  the  sufficiency  of  the 
blood,  ?/ only  they  were  sure  of  an  interest  therein — 
if  only  they  had  the  right  kind  of  faith.  There  are 


142  EXODUS. 

many  precious  souls  in  this  unhappy  condition. 
They  are  occupied  with  their  interest  and  their  faith, 
instead  of  with  Christ's  blood  and  God's  w'ord.  In 
other  words,  they  are  looking  in  at  self,  instead  of 
out  at  Christ.  This  is  not  faith ;  and,  as  a  conse- 
quence, they  have  not  peace.  An  Israelite  within 
the  blood-stained  lintel  could  teach  such  souls  a 
most  seasonable  lesson.  He  was  not  saved  by  his 
interest  in,  or  his  thoughts  about,  the  blood,  but 
simply  by  the  blood.  No  doubt  lie  had  a  blessed 
interest  in  it,  and  he  would  have  his  thoughts  like- 
wise ;  but  then  God  did  not  say,  When  I  see  your 
interest  in  the  blood,  I  will  pass  over  you.  Oh,  no! 
THE  BLOOD,  in  all  its  solitary  dignity  and  divine 
efficacy,  was  set  before  Israel ;  and  had  they  at- 
tempted to  place  even  a  morsel  of  unleavened  bread 
beside  the  blood,  as  a  ground  of  security,  they  would 
have  made  Jehovah  a  liar,  and  denied  the  sufficiency 
of  His  remedy. 

We  are  ever  prone  to  look  at  something  in  or 
connected  with  ourselves  as  ne'cessary,  in  order  to 
make  up,  with  the  blood  of  Christ,  the  ground-work 
of  our  peace.  There  is  a  sad  lack  of  clearness  and 
soundness  on  this  vital  point,  as  is  evident  from 
the  doubts  and  fears  with  which  so  many  of  the 
people  of  God  are  afflicted.  We  are  apt  to  regard 
the  fruits  of  the  Spirit  in  us,  rather  than  the  work  of 
Christ  for  us,  as  the  foundation  of  peace.  We  shall 
see,  presently,  the  place  which  the  work  of  the  Holy 
Spirit  occupies  in  Christianity ;  but  it  is  never  set 
forth  in  Scripture  as  being  that  on  which  our  peace 


CHAPTER    XII.  143 

reposes.  The  Holy  Ghost  did  not  make  peace,  but 
Christ  did.  The  Holy  Ghost  is  not  said  to  be  our 
peace,  but  Christ  is.  God  did  not  send  preaching 
peace  by  the  Holy  Ghost,  but  by  Jesus  Christ. 
(Comp.  Acts  x.  36  ;  Eph.  ii.  14,  17  ;  Col,  i.  20.)  My 
reader  cannot  be  too  simple  in  his  apprehension  of 
this  important  distinction.  It  is  the  blood  of  Christ 
which  gives  peace,  imparts  perfect  justification — 
divine  righteousness,  purges  the  conscience,  brings 
us  into  the  holiest  of  all;  justifies  God  in  receiving 
the  believing  sinner,  and  constitutes  our  title  to  all 
the  joys,  the  dignities,  and  the  glories  of  heaven. 
(See  Rom.  iii.  24-26;  v.  9;  Eph.  ii.  13-18;  Col.  i. 
20-22;  Heb.  ix.  14;  x.  19  ;  1  Peter  i.  19;  ii.  24; 
1  Johni.  7;  Rev.  vii.  14-17.) 

It  will  not,  I  fondly  hope,  be  supposed  that,  in 
seeking  to  put  "the  precious  blood  of  Christ"  in 
its  divinely  appointed  place,  I  would  wrrite  a  single 
line  which  might  Nseem  to  detract  from  the  value 
of  the  Spirit's  operations.  God  forbid.  The  Holy 
Ghost  reveals  Christ ;  makes  us  to  know,  enjoy,  and 
feed  upon  Christ ;  He  bears  witness  to  Christ ;  He 
takes  of  the  things  of  Christ  and  shows  them  unto 
us.  He  is  the  power  of  communion,  the  seal,  the 
witness,  the  earnest,  the  unction.  In  short,  His 
blessed  operations  are  absolutely  essential.  Without 
Him,  we  can  neither  see,  hear,  know,  feel,  experience, 
enjoy,  nor  exhibit  aught  of  Christ.  This  is  plain. 
The  doctrine  of  the  Spirit's  operations  is  clearly  laid 
down  in  the  Word,  and  is  understood  and  admitted 
by  every  true  and  rightly-instructed  Christian. 


144  EXODUS. 

Yet,  notwithstanding  all  this,  the  work  of  the 
Spirit  is  not  the  ground  of  peace  ;  for,  if  it  were,  we 
could  not  have  settled  peace  until  Christ's  coming, 
inasmuch  as  the  work  of  the  Spirit,  in  the  Church, 
will  not,  properly  speaking,  be  complete  till  then. 
He  still  carries  on  His  work  in  the  believer.  "He" 
maketh  intercession  with  groanings  which  cannot  be 
uttered."  (Rom.  viii.)  He  labors  to  bring  us  up  to 
the  predestinated  standard,  namely,  perfect  con- 
formity, in  all  things,  to  the  image  of  "the  Son." 
He  is  the  sole  Author  of  every  right  desire,  every 
holy  aspiration,  every  pure  affection,  every  divine 
experience,  every  sound  conviction ;  but,  clearly, 
His  work  in  us  will  not  be  complete  until  we  have 
left  this  present  scene  and  taken  our  place  with 
Christ  in  the  gloiy.  Just  as,  in  the  case  of  Abra- 
ham's servant,  his  work  was  not  complete,  in  the 
matter  of  Rebecca,  until  he  had  presented  her  to 
Isaac. 

Not  so  the  work  of  Christ  for  us.  That  is  abso- 
lutely and  eternally  complete.  He  could  say,  "I 
have  finished  the  work  which  Thou  gavest  Me  to 
do."  (John  xvii.  4.)  And,  again,  "It  is  finished." 
(John  xix.  30.)  The  Holy  Ghost  cannot  yet  say  He 
has  finished  His  work.  As  the  true  Vicar  of  Christ 
upon  earth,  He  still  labors  amid"  the  varied  hostile 
influences  which  surround  the  sphere  of  His  opera- 
tions. He  works  in  the  hearts  of  the  people  of  God 
to  bring  them  up,  practically  and  experimentally, 
to  the  divinely  appointed  standard  ;  but  He  never 
teaches  a  soul  to  lean  on  His  work  for  peace  in  the 


CHAPTER    XII.  145 

presence  of  God.  His  office  is  to  speak  of  Jesus. 
He  does  not  speak  of  Himself.  uHe,"  says  Christ, 
"shall  receive  of  Mine  and  shall  show  it  unto  you." 
(John  xvi.  13,  14.)  If,  then,  it  is  only  by  the  Spirit's 
teaching  that  any  one  can  understand  the  true  ground 
of  peace,  and  if  the  Spirit  never  speaks  of  Himself, 
it  is  obvious  that  He  can  only  present  Christ's  work 
as  the  foundation  on  which  the  soul  must  rest  for- 
ever ;  yea,  it  is  in  virtue  of  that  work  that  He  takes 
up  His  abode  and  carries  on  His  marvelous  operations 
in  the  believer.  He  is  not  our  title,  though  He  reveals 
that  title  and  enables  us  to  understand  and  enjoy  it. 
Hence,  therefore,  the  paschal  lamb,  as  the  ground 
of  Israel's  peace,  is  a  marked  and  beautiful  type  of 
Christ  as  the  ground  of  the  believer's  peace.  There 
was  nothing  to  be  added  to  the  blood  on  the  lintel ; 
neither  is  there  anything  to  be  added  to  the  blood 
on 'the  mercy-seat.  The  "unleavened  bread"  and 
"bitter  herbs"  were  necessary,  but  not  as  forming, 
either  in  whole  or  in  part,  the  ground  of  peace.  They 
were  for  the  inside  of  the  house,  and  formed  the 
characteristics  of  the  communion  there ;  but  THE 
BLOOD  OF 'THE  LAMB  WAS  THE  FOUNDA- 
TION OF  EVERYTHING.  It  saved  them  from 
death,  and  introduced  them  into  a  scene  of  life,  > 
light,  and  peace.  It  formed  the  link  between  God 
and  His  redeemed  people.  As  a  people  linked  with 
God,  on  the  ground  of  accomplished  redemption,  it 
was  their  high  privilege  to  meet  certain  responsibili- 
ties ;  but  these  responsibilities  did  not  form  the  link, 
but  merely  flowed  out  of  it. 


146  EXODUS. 

And  I  would  farther  remind  my  reader  that  the 
obedient  life  of  Christ  is  not  set  forth  in  Scripture  as 
the  procuring  cause  of  our  forgiveness.  It  was  His 
death  upon  the  cross  that  opened  those  everlasting 
floodgates  of  love  which  else  should  have  remained 
pent  up  forever.  If  He  had  remained  to  this  very 
hour,  going  through  the  cities  of  Israel,  "doing 
good/'  the  vail  of  the  temple  would  continue  tmrent, 
to  bar  the  worshiper's  approach  to  God.  It  was  His 
death  that  rent  that  mysterious  curtain  "from  top  to 
bottom."  It  is  "by  His  stripes,"  not  by  His  obedi- 
ent life,  that  "we  are  healed  ;  "  and  those  "stripes" 
He  endured  on  the  cross,  and  no  where  else.  His 
own  words,  during  the  progress  of  His  blessed  life, 
are  quite  sufficient  to  settle  this  point. — "I  have  a 
baptism  to  be  baptized  with;  and  how  am  I  strait- 
ened till  it  be  accomplished."  (Luke  xii.  50.)  To 
what  does  this  refer  but  to  His  death  upon  the  cross, 
which  was  the  accomplishment  of  His  baptism  and 
the  opening  up  of  a  righteous  vent  through  which 
His  love  might  freely  flow  out  to  the  guilty  sons  of 
Adam  ?  Again,  He  says,  "Except  a  corn  cf  wheat 
fall  into  the  ground  and  die,  it  abideth  alone." 
(John  xii.  24.)  He  was  that  precious  "corn  of 
wheat ; "  and  He  should  have  remained  forever 
"alone,"  even  though  incarnate,  had  He  not,  by 
His  death  upon  the  accursed  tree,  removed  out  of 
the  way  everything  that  could  have  hindered  the 
union  of  His  people  with  Him  in  resurrection.  "If 
it  die,  it  bringeth  forth  much  fruit." 

My  reader  cannot  too  carefully  ponder  this  subject. 


CHAPTER    XII.  117 

It  is  one  of  immense  weight  and  importance.  He  has 
to  remember  two  points  in  reference  to  this  entire 
question,  namely,  that  there  could  be  no  union  with 
Christ,  save  in  resurrection ;  and  that  Christ  only 
suffered  for  sins  on  the  cross.  We  are  not  to  suppose 
that  incarnation  was,  by  any  .means,  Christ  taking 
us  into  union  with  Himself.  This  could  not  be.  How 
could  sinful  flesh  be  thus  united  ?  The  body  of  sin 
had  to  be  destroyed  by  death.  Sin  had  to  be  put 
away  according  to  the  divine  requirement ;  all  the 
power  of  the  enemy  had  to  be  abolished.  How  was 
all  this  to  be  done  ?  Only  by  the  precious,  spotless 
Lamb  of  God  submitting  to  the  death  of  the  cross. 
"It  became  Him,  for  whom  are  all  things,  and  by 
whom  are  all  things,  in  bringing  many  sons  unto 
glory,  to  make  the  Captain  of  their  salvation  perfect 
through  sufferings."  (Heb.  ii.  10.)  " Behold,  least 
out  devils,  and  I  do  cures  to-day  and  to-morrow, 
and  the  third  day  I  shall  be  perfected. ' '  (Luke  xiii.  32. ) 
The  expressions  "perfect"  and  "perfected"  in  the 
above  passages,  do  not  refer  to  Christ  in  His  own 
Person  abstractedly,  for  He  was  perfect  from  all  eter- 
nity, as  Son  of  God ;  and  as  to  His  humanity,  He 
was  absolutely  perfect  likewise.  Bwt  then,  as  "the 
Captain  of  salvation" — as  "bringing  many  sons  unto 
glory" — as  "bringing  forth  much  fruit" — as  asso- 
ciating a  redeemed  people  with  Himself,— He  had  to 
reach  "the  third  day"  in  order  to  be  "perfected." 
He  went  down  alone  into  the  ' '  horrible  pit,  and  miry 
clay  ;  "  but  directly  He  plants  His  "foot  on  the  rock" 
of  resurrection,  He  associates  with  Himself  the 


148  EXODUS. 

c c  many  sons. ' '  (Psalm  xl.  1-3. )  He  fought  the  fight 
alone ;  but,  as  the  mighty  Conqueror,  He  scatters 
around  Him,  in  rich  profusion,  the  spoils  of  victory, 
that  we  might  gather  them  up  and  enjoy  them  forever. 

Moreover,  we  are  not  to  regard  the  cross  of  Christ 
as  a  mere  circumstance  in  a  life  of  sin-bearing.  It 
was  the  grand  and  only  scene  of  sin-bearing.  "His 
own  self  bare  our  sins  in  His  own  body  on  the  tree." 
(1  Peter  ii.  24.)  He  did  not  bear  them  any  where 
else.  He  did  not  bear  them  in  the  manger,  nor  in 
the  wilderness,  nor  in  the  garden  ;  but  ONLY  "ON 
THE  TREE."  He  never  had  aught  to  say  to  sin, 
save  on  the  cross ;  and  there  He  bowed  His  head, 
and  yielded  up  His  precious  life,  under  the  accumu- 
lated weight  of  His  people's  sins.  Neither  did  He 
ever  suffer  at  the  hand  of  God,  save  on  the  cross ; 
and  there  Jehovah  hid  His  face  from  Him  because 
He  was  "made  sin."  (2  Cor.  v.) 

The  above  train  of  thought,  and  the  various  pas- 
sages of  Scripture  referred  to,  may  perhaps  enable 
my  reader  to  enter  more  fully  into  the  divine  power 
of  the  words,  "  When  I  see  the  Uood,  I  will  pass  over 
you."  The  lamb  needed  to  be  without  blemish,  no 
doubt,  for  what  else  could  meet  the  holy  eye  of 
Jehovah  ?  But  had  the  blood  not  been  shed,  there 
could  have  been  no  passing  over,  for  "without  shed- 
ding of  blood  is  no  remission."  (Heb.  ix.  22.)  This 
subject  will,  the  Lord  permitting,  come  more  fully 
and  appropriately  before  us  in  the  t}^pes  of  Leviticus. 
It  demands  the  prayerful  attention  of  every  one  who 
loves  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ  in  sincerity. 


CHAPTER    XII.  149 

We  shall  now  consider  the  second  aspect  of  the 
passover,  as  the  centre  round  which  the  assembly  was 
gathered,  in  peaceful,  holy,  happy  fellowship.  Israel 
saved  by  the  blood  was  one  thing,  and  Israel  feeding 
on  the  lamb  was  quite  another.  They  were  saved 
only  by  the  blood  ;  but  the  object  round  which  they 
were  gathered  was,  manifestly,  the  roasted  lamb. 
This  is  not,  by  any  means,  a  distinction  without  a 
difference.  The  blood  of  the  lamb  forms  the  foun- 
dation both  of  our  connection  with  God,  and  our 
connection  with  one  another.  It  is  as  those  who  are 
washed  in  that  blood,  that  we  are  introduced  to  God 
and  to  one  another.  Apart  from  the  perfect  atone- 
ment of  Christ,  there  could  obviously  be  no  fellowship 
either  with  God  or  His  assembly.  Still  we  must 
remember  that  it  is  to  a  living  Christ  in  heaven  that 
believers  are  gathered  by  the  Holy  Ghost.  It  is  with 
a  living  Head  we  are  connected — to  "a living  stone" 
we  have  come.  He  is  our  centre.  Having  found 
peace  through  His  blood,  we  own  Him  as  our  grand 
gathering-point  and  connecting  link. — "Where  two 
or  three  are  gathered  together  in  My  name,  there  am 
I  in  the  midst  of  them. ' '  (Matt,  xviii.  20. )  The  Holy 
Ghost  is  the  only  Gatherer ;  Christ  Himself  is  the 
only  object  to  which  we  are  gathered ;  and  our  as- 
sembly, when  thus  convened,  is  to  be  characterized 
by  holiness,  so  that  the  Lord  our  God  may  dwell 
among  us.  The  Holy  Ghost  can  only  gather  to 
Christ.  He  cannot  gather  to  a  system,  a  name,  a 
doctrine,  or  an  ordinance.  He  gathers  to  a  Person, 
and  that  Person  is  a  glorified  Christ  in  heaven.  This 
11 


150  EXODUS. 

must  stamp  a  peculiar  character  on  God's  assembly. 
Men  may  associate  on  any  ground,  round  any  centre, 
or  for  any  object  they  please ;  but  when  the  Holy 
Ghost  associates,  it  is  on  the  ground  of  accomplished 
redemption,  around  the  Person  of  Christ,  in  order 
to  form  a  holy  dwelling-place  for  God.(l  Cor.  iii.  16. 
17 ;  vi.  19  ;  Eph.  ii.  21,  22  ;  1  Pet.  ii.  4,  5.) 

We  shall  now  look  in  detail  at  the  principles 
brought  before  us  in  the  paschal  feast.  The  assem- 
bly, of  Israel,  as  under  the  cover  of  the  blood,  was 
to  be  ordered  by  Jehovah  in  a  manner  worthy  of 
Himself.  In  the  matter  of  safety  from  judgment, 
as  we  have  already  seen,  nothing  was  needed  but 
the  blood  ;  but  in  the  fellowship  which  flowed  out  of 
this  safety,  other  things  were  needed  which  could 
not  be  neglected  with  impunity. 

And  first,  then,  we  read,  "They  shall  eat  the  flesh 
in  that  night,  roast  with  fire,  and  unleavened  bre.ad ; 
and  with  bitter  herbs  they  shall  eat  it.  Eat  not  of 
it  raw,  nor  sodden  at  all  with  water,  but  roast  with 
fire  ;  his  head  with  his  legs,  and  with  the  purtenance 
thereof."  (Yer.  8,  9.)'  The  lamb  round  which  the 
congregation  was  assembled,  and  on  which  it  feasted, 
was  a  roasted  lamb — a  lamb  which  had  undergone 
the  action  of  fire.  In  this  we  see  "Christ  our  pass- 
over"  presenting  Himself  to  the  action  of  the  fire 
of  divine  holiness  and  judgment  which  found  in  Him 
a  perfect  material.  He  could  say,  "Thou  hast 
proved  mine  heart ;  tliDu  hast  visited  me  in  the 
flight ;.  thou  hast  tried  me  and  shalt  find  nothing :  I 
am  purposed  that  my  mouth  shall  not  transgress." 


CHAPTER   XII.  151 

(Psalm  xvii.  3.)  All  in  Him  was  perfect.  The  fire 
tried  Him,  and  there  was  no  dross.  uHis  head  with 
his  legs  and  with  the  purtenance  thereof."  That  is 
to  say,  the  seat  of  His  understanding,  His  outward 
walk,  with  all  that  pertained  thereto — all  was  sub- 
mitted to  the  action  of  the  fire,  and  all  was  entirely 
perfect.  The  process  of  roasting  was  therefore  deeply 
significant,  as  is  every  circumstance  in  the  ordinances 
of  God.  Nothing  should  be  passed  over,  because  all 
is  pregnant  with  meaning. 

"Eat  not  of  it  raw,  nor  sodden  at  all  with  water." 
Had  it  been  eaten  thus,  there  would  have  been  no 
expression  of  the  great  truth  which  it  was  the  divine 
purpose  to  shadow  forth ;  namely,  that  our  paschal 
Lamb  was  to  endure,  on  the  cross,  the  fire  of  Jeho- 
vah's righteous  wrath, — a  truth  of  infinite  precious- 
ness  to  the  soul.  We  are  not  merely  under  the  shelter 
of  the  blood  of  the  Lamb,  but  we  feed,  by  faith, 
upon  the  Person  of  the  Lamb.  Many,  of  us  ceme 
short  here.  We  are  apt  to  rest  satisfied  with  being 
saved  by  what  Christ  has  done  for  us,  without  culti- 
vating holy  communion  with  Himself.  His  loving 
heart  could  never  be  satisfied  with  this.  He  has 
brought  us  nigh  to  Himself,  that  we  might  enjoy  Him, 
that  we  might  feed  on  Him,  and  delight  in  Him.  He 
presents  Himself  to  us  as  the  One  who  has  endured, 
to  the  uttermost,  the  intense  fire  of  the  wrath  of  God, 
that  He  may,  in  this  wondrous  character,  be  the  food 
of  our  ransomed  souls. 

But  how  was  this  lamb  to  be  eaten?  "With 
unleavened  bread  and  bitter  herbs."  Leaven  is  in- 


152  EXODUS. 

variably  used,  throughout  Scripture,  as  emblematical 
of  evil.  Neither  in  the  Old  nor  in  the  New  Testament 
is  it  ever  used  to  set  forth  anything  pure,  holy,  or 
good.  Thus,  in  this  chapter, c  'the  feast  of  unleavened 
bread ' '  is  the  type  of  that  practical  separation  from 
evil  which  is  the  proper  result  of  being  washed  from 
our  sins  in  the  blood  of  the  Lamb,  and  the  proper 
accompaniment  of  communion  with  His  sufferings. 
Naught  but  unleavened  bread  could  at  all  comport 
with  a  roasted  lamb.  A  single  particle  of  that  which 
was  the  marked  type  of  evil,  would  have  destroyed 
the  moral  character  of  the  entire  ordinance.  How 
could  w^e  connect  any  species  of  evil  with  our  fellow- 
ship with  a  suffering  Christ?  Impossible.  All  who 
enter,  by  the  power  of  the  Holy  Ghost,  into  the 
meaning  of  the  cross  will  assuredly,  by  the  same 
power,  put  away  leaven  from  all  their  borders.  c '  For 
even  Christ  our  passover  is  sacrificed  for  us :  there- 
fore let  us  keep  the  feast,  not  with  old  leaven,  neither 
with  the  leaven  of  malice  and  wickedness  ;  but  with 
the  unleavened  bread  of  sincerity  and  truth.  "(1  Cor. 
v.  7,  8.)  The  feast  spoken  of  in  this  passage  is  that 
which,  in  the  life  and  conduct  of  the  Church,  corre- 
sponds with  the  feast  of  unleavened  bread.  This 
latter  lasted  "seven  days  ;  "  and  the  Church  collect- 
ively, and  the  believer  individually,  are  called  to  walk 
in  practical  holiness,  during  the  seven  days,  or  entire 
period,  of  their  course  here  below ;  and  this,  more- 
over, as  the  direct  result  of  being  washed  in  the  blood, 
and  having  communion  with  the  sufferings  of  Christ. 
The  Israelite  did  not  put  away  leaven  in  order  to 


CHAPTER    XII.  153 

be  saved,  but  because  he  was  saved  ;  and  if  lie  failed 
to  put  away  leaven,  it  did  not  raise  the  question  of 
security  through  the  blood,  but  simply  of  fellowship 
with  the  assembly.  "Seven  days  shall  there  be  no 
leaven  found  in  your  houses :  for  whosoever  eateth 
that  which  is  leavened,  even  that  soul  shall  be  cut  off 
from  the  congregation  of  Israel,  whether  he  be  a 
stranger,  or  born  in  the  land."  (Ver.  19.)  The 
cutting  off  of  an  Israelite  from  the  congregation 
answers  precisely  to  the  suspension  of  a  Christian's 
fellowship,  if  he  be  indulging  in  that  which  is  contrary 
to  the  holiness  of  the  divine  presence.  God  cannot 
tolerate  evil.  A  single  unholy  thought  will  interrupt 
the  soul's  communion  ;  and  until  the  soil  contracted 
by  any  such  thought  is  got  rid  of  by  confession, 
founded  on  the  advocacy  of  Christ,  the  communion 
cannot  possibly  be  restored.  (See  1  John  i.  5-10.) 
The  true-hearted  Christian  rejoices  in  this.  He  can 
ever  "give  thanks  at  the  remembrance  of  God's 
holiness."  He  would  not,  if  he  could,  lower  the 
standard  a  single  hair's  breadth.  It  is  his  exceeding 
joy  to  walk  in  company  with  One  who  wall  not  go  on, 
for  a  moment,  with  a  single  jot  or  tittle  of  "leaven." 
Blessed  be  Gocl,  we  know  that  nothing  can  ever 
snap  asunder  the  link  which  binds  the  true  believer 
to  Him.  \Ve  are  "saved  in  the  Lord/'  not  with  a 
temporary  or  conditional,  but  "with  an  everlasting 
salvation."  But  then  salvation  and  communion  are 
not  the  same  thing.  Many  are  saved  who  do  not 
know  it ;  and  many,  also,  who  do  not  enjoy  it.  It 
is  quite  impossible  that  I  can  enjoy  a  blood-stained 


154  EXODUS. 

lintel  if  I  have  leavened  borders.  This  is  an  axiom 
in  the  divine  life.  May  it  be  written  on  our  hearts ! 
Practical  holiness,  though  not  the  basis  of  our  salva- 
tion, is  intimately  connected  with  our  enjoyment 
thereof.  An  Israelite  was  not  saved  by  unleavened 
bread,  but  by  the  blood  ;  and  yet  leaven  would  have 
cut  him  off  from  communion.  And  as  to  the  Chris- 
tian, he  is  not  saved  by  his  practical  holiness,  but 
by  the  blood  ;  but  if  he  indulges  in  evil,  in  thought, 
word,  or  deed,  he  will  have  no  true  enjoyment  of 
salvation,  and  no  true  communion  with  the  Person 
of  the  Lamb. 

This,  I  cannot  doubt,  is  the  secret  of  much  of  the 
spiritual  barrenness  and  lack  of  settled  peace  which 
one  finds  amongst  the  children  of  God.  They  are 
not  cultivating  holiness  ;  they  are  not  keeping  "the 
feast  of  unleavened  bread."  The  blood  is  on  the 
lintel,  but  the  leaven  within  their  borders  keeps 
them  from  enjoying  the  security  which  the  blood 
provides.  The  allowance  of  evil  destroys  our  fellow- 
ship, though  it  does  not  break  the  link  which  binds 
our  souls  eternally  to  God.  Those  who  belong  to 
God's  assembly  must  be  holy.  They  have  not  only 
been  delivered  from  the  guilt  and  consequences  of 
sin,  but  also  from  the  practice  of  it,  the  power  of  it, 
and  the  love  of  it.  The  very  fact  of  being  delivered 
by  the  blood  of  the  paschal  lamb,  rendered  Israel 
responsible  to  put  away  leaven  from  all  their  quarters. 
They  could  not  say,  in  the  frightful  language  of  the 
antinomian,  Now  that  we  are  delivered,  we  may 
conduct  ourselves  as  we  please.  By  no  means.  If 


CHAPTER    XII.  155 

they  were  saved  by  grace,  they  were  saved  to  holiness. 
The  soul  that  can  take  occasion,  from  the  freedom 
of  divine  grace  and  the  completeness  of  the  redemp- 
tion which  is  in  Christ  Jesus,  to  "continue  in  sin," 
proves  very  distinctly  that  he  understands  neither 
the  one  nor  the  other. 

Grace  not  only  saves  the  soul  with  an  everlasting 
salvation,  but  also  imparts  a  nature  which  delights 
in  everything  that  belongs  to  God,  because  it  is 
divine.  We  are  made  partakers  of  the  divine  nature, 
which  cannot  sin,  because  it  is  born  of  God.  To 
walk  in  the  energy  of  this  nature  is,  in  reality,  to 
"  keep  "  the  feast  of  unleavened  bread.  There  is  no 
"old  leaven"  nor  "leaven  of  malice  and  wickedness" 
in  the  new  nature,  because  it  is  of  God,  and  God  is 
holy,  and  "God  is  love."  Hence  it  is  evident  that 
we  do  not  put  away  evil  from  us  in  order  to  better 
our  old  nature,  which  is  irremediable ;  nor  yet  to 
obtain  the  new  nature,  but  because  we  have  it.  We 
have  life,  and,  in  the  power  of  that  life,  we  put  away 
evil.  It  is  only  when  wre  are  delivered  from  the 
guilt  of  sin  that  we  can  understand  or  exhibit  the 
true  power  of  holiness. .  To  attempt  it  in  any  other 
way  is  hopeless  labor.  The  feast  of  unleavened 
bread  can  only  be  kept  beneath  the  perfect  shelter 
of  the  blood. 

We  may  perceive  equal  significancy  and  moral 
propriety  in  that  which  was  to  accompany  the  un- 
leavened bread,  namely,  the  "bitter  herbs."  We 
cannot  enjoy  communion  with  the  sufferings  of 
Christ  without  remembering  what  it  was  which 


156  EXODUS. 

rendered  those  sufferings  needful,  and  this  remem- 
brance must  necessarily  produce  a  chastened  and 
subdued  tone  of  spirit,  which  is  aptly  expressed  by 
the  bitter  herbs  in  the  paschal  feast.  If  the  roasted 
lamb  expressed  Christ's  endurance  of  the  wrath  of 
God  in  His  own  Person,  on  the  cross,  the  bitter 
herbs  express  the  believer's  recognition  of  the  truth 
that  He  " suffered  for  us. "  "The  chastisement  of 
our  peace  was  upon  Him,  and  with  His  stripes  we 
are  healed."  (Isaiah  liii.  5.)  It  is  well,  owing  to 
the  excessive  levity  of  our  hearts,  to  understand  the 
deep  meaning  of  the  bitter  herbs.  Who  can  read 
such  psalms  as  the  sixth,  twenty-second,  thirty- 
eighth,  sixty-ninth,  eighty-eighth,  and  one  hundred 
and  ninth,  and  not  enter,  in  some  measure,  into  the 
meaning  of  the  unleavened  bread  with  bitter  herbs  ? 
Practical  holiness  of  life,  with  deep  subduedness  of 
soul,  must  flow  from  real  communion  with  Christ's 
sufferings  ;  for  it  is  quite  impossible  that  moral  evil 
and  levity  of  spirit  can  exist  in  view  of  those 
Bufferings. 

But,  it  may  be  asked,  is  there  not  a  deep  joy  for 
the  soul  in  the  consciousness  that  Christ  has  borne 
our  sins  ;  that  He  has  fully  drained,  on  our  behalf, 
the  cup  of  God's  righteous  wrath?  Unquestionably. 
This  is  the  solid  foundation  of  all  our  joy.  But  can 
we  ever  forget  that  it  was  for  '  'our  sins"  He  suffered  ? 
Can  we  ever  lose  sight  of  the  soul-subduing  truth 
that  the  blessed  Lamb  of  God  bowed  His  head  be- 
neath the  weight  of  our  transgressions  ?  Surely  riot. 
We  must  eat  our  lamb  with  bitter  herbs,  which,  be 


CHAPTER    XII.  157 

it  remembered,  do  not  set  forth  the  tears  of  a  worth- 
less and  shallow  sentimentality,  but  the  deep  and 
real  experiences  of  a  soul  that  enters,  with  spiritual 
intelligence  and  power,  into  the  meaning  and  into 
the  practical  effect  of  the  cross. 

In  contemplating  the  cross,  we  find  in  it  that  which 
cancels  all  our  guilt.  This  imparts  sweet  peace  and 
joy.  But  we  find  in  it  also  the  complete  setting 
aside  of  nature — the  crucifixion  of  uthe  flesh"— the 
death  of  "the  old  man."  (See  Eom.  vi.  6  ;  Gal.  ii. 
20;  vi.  14;  Col.  ii.  11.)  This,  in  its  practical  re- 
sults, will  involve  much  that  is  "bitter"  to  nature. 
It  will  call  for  self-denial — the  mortification  of  our 
members  which  are  on  the  earth  (Col.  iii.  5.) — the 
reckoning  of  self  to  be  dead  indeed  unto  sin  (Rom. 
vi.).  All  these  things  may  seem  terrible  to  look  at ; 
but  when  one  gets  inside  the  blood-stained  door-post, 
he  thinks  quite  differently.  The  very  herbs  which 
to  an  Egyptian's  taste  would  no  doubt  have  seemed 
so  bitter,  formed  an  integral  part  of  Israel's  redemp- 
tion feast.  Those  who  are  redeemed  by  the  blood 
of  the  Lamb,  who  know  the  joy  of  fellowship  with 
Him,  esteem  it  a  "feast"  to  put  away  evil  and  to 
keep  nature  in  the  place  of  death. 

"And  ye  shall  let  nothing  of  it  remain  until  the 
morning ;  and  that  which  remaineth  of  it  until  the 
morning  ye  shall  burn  with  fire."  (Yer.  10. )  In  this 
command,  we  are  taught  that  the  communion  of  the 
congregation  was  in  no  wise  to  be  separated  from 
the  sacrifice  on  which  that  communion  was  founded. 
The  heart  must  ever  cherish  the  vivid  remembrance 


158  EXODUS. 

that  all  true  fellowship  is  inseparably  connected 
with  accomplished  redemption.  To  think  of  having 
communion  with  God  on  any  other  ground  is  to 
imagine  that  He  could  have  fellowship  with  our  evil, 
and  to  think  of  fellowship  with  man  on  any  other 
ground  is  but  to  form  an  unholy  club,  from  which 
nothing  could  issue  but  confusion  and  iniquity.  In 
a  word,  all  must  be  founded  upon,  and  inseparably 
linked  with,  the  blood.  This  is  the  simple  meaning 
of  eating  the  paschal  lamb  the  same  night  on  which 
the  blood  was  shed.  The  fellowship  must  not  be 
separated  from  its  foundation. 

What  a  beauteous  picture,  then,  we  have  in  the 
blood-sheltered  assembly  of  Israel,  feeding  peace- 
fully on  the  roasted  lamb,  with  unleavened  bread  and 
bitter  herbs  !  No  fear  of  judgment,  no  fear  of  the 
wrath  of  Jehovah,  no  fear  of  the  terrible  hurricane 
of  righteous  vengeance  which  was  sweeping  vehe- 
mently over  the  land  of  Egypt,  at  the  midnight  hour. 
All  was  profound  peace  within  the  blood-stained 
lintel.  They  had  no  need  to  fear  anything  from 
without;  and  nothing  within  could  trouble  them, 
save  leaven,  which  would  have  proved  a  death-blow 
to  all  their  peace  and  blessedness.  What  a  picture 
for  the  Church  !  What  a  picture  for  the  Christian  ! 
May  we  gaze  upon  it  with  an  enlightened  eye  and  a 
teachable  spirit ! 

However,  we  are  not  yet  done  with  this  most 
instructive  ordinance.  We  have  been  looking  at 
Israel's  position,  and  Israel's  food,  let  us  now  look 
at  Israel's  habit. 


CHAPTER    XII.  159 

"And  thus  shall  ye  cat  it :  with  your  loins  girded, 
your  shoes  on  your  feet,  and  your  staff  in  your 
hand;  and  ye  shall  cat  it  in  haste;  it  is. the  Lord's 
passover. ' '  ( Ver.  11.)  They  were  to  eat  it  as  a  people 
prepared  to  leave  behind  them  the  land  of  death  and 
darkness,  wrath  and  judgment,  to  move  onward 
toward  the  land  of  promise — their  destined  inherit- 
ance. The  blood  which  had  preserved -them  from 
the  fate  of  Egypt's  first-born  was  also  the  foundation 
of  their  deliverance  from  Egypt's  bondage ;  and 
they  were  now  to  set  out  and  walk  with  God  toward 
the  land  that  flowed  with  milk  and  honey.  True, 
they  had  not  yet  crossed  the  Red  Sea, — they  had  not 
yet  gone  the  "three  days'  journey  ;  "  still  they  were, 
in  principle,  a  redeemed  people,  a  separated  people, 
a  pilgrim  people,  an  expectant  people,  a  dependent 
people  ;  and  their  entire  habit  was  to  be  in  keeping 
with  their  present  position  and  future  destiny.  The 
girded  loins  bespoke  intense  separation  from  all 
around  them,  together  with  a  readiness  to  serve. 

'  O 

The  shod  feet  declared  their  preparedness  to  leave 
that  scene  ;  ivhilc  the  staff  was  the  expressive  emblem 
of  a  pilgrim  people,  in  the  attitude  of  leaning  on 
something  outside  themselves.  Precious  character- 
istics !  Would  that  they  were  more  exhibited  by 
every  member  of  God's  redeemed  famity. 

Beloved  Christian  reader,  let  us  "meditate  on 
these  things."  We  have  tasted,  through  grace,  the 
cleansing  efficacy  of  the  blood  of  Jesus  ;  as  such,  it 
is  our  privilege  to  feed  upon  His  adorable  Person 
and  delight  ourselves  in  His  "unsearchable  riches  ;" 


1GO  EXODUS. 

to  have  fellowship  in  His  sufferings,  and  be  made 
conformable  to  His  death.  Oh  !  let  us,  therefore, 
be  seen  with  the  unleavened  bread  and  bitter  herbs, 
the  girded  loins,  the  shoes  and  staff.  In  a  word,  let 
us  be  marked  as  a  holy  people,  a  crucified  people,  a 
watchful  and  diligent  people, — a  people  manifestly 
'  'on  our  way  to  God' ' — on  our  way  to  glory — '  'bound 
for  the  kingdom/'  May  God  grant  us  to  enter  into 
the  depth  and  power  of  all  these  things,  so  that  they 
may  not  be  mere  theories  in  our  intellects — mere 
principles  of  scriptural  knowledge  and  interpretation, 
but  living,  divine  realities,  known  by  experience,  and 
exhibited  in  the  life,  to  the  glory  of  God. 

We  shall  close  this  section  by  glancing,  for  a  mo- 
ment, at  verses  43-49.      Here  we  are  taught  that 

'  -  O 

while  it  was  the  place  and  privilege  of  every  true 
Israelite  to  eat  the  passover,  yet  no  uncircumcised 
stranger  should  participate  therein. — "There  shall 
no  stranger  eat  thereof all  the  congrega- 
tion of  Israel  shall  keep  it."  Circumcision  was 
necessary  ere  the  passover  could  be  eaten.  In  other 
words,  the  sentence  of  death  must  be  written  upon 
nature  ere  we  can  intelligently  feed  upon  Christ, 
either  as  the  ground  of  peace  or  the  centre  of  unhVv. 
Circumcision  has  its  antitype  in  the  cross.  The  male 
alone  was  circumcised ;  the  female  was  represented 
in  the  male.  So,  in  the  cross,  Christ  represented 
His  Church,  and  hence  the  Church  is  crucified  with 
Christ ;  nevertheless  she  lives  by  the  life  of  Christ, 
known  and  exhibited  on  earth,  through  the  power  of 
the  Holy  Ghost.  '  'And  when  a  stranger  shall  sojourn 


CHAPTER    XII.  161 

with  thee,  and  will  keep  the  passover  unto  the  Lord, 
let  all  his  males  be  circumcised,  and  then  let  him 
come  near  and  keep  it ;  and  he  shall  be  as  one  that 
is  born  in  the  land:  for  no  uncircumcised  person 
shall  eat  thereof. "  ; '  They  that  are  in  the  flesh  can- 
not please  God."  (Rom.  viii.  8.) 

The  ordinance  of  circumcision  formed  the  grand 
boundary' line  between  the  Israel  of  God  and  all  the 
nations  that  were  upon  the  face  of  the  earth  ;  and  the 
cross  of  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ  forms  the  boundary 
between  the  Church  and  the  world.  It  matters  not, 
in  the  smallest  degree,  what  advantages  of  person  or 
position  a  man  possessed,  he  could  have  no  part 
with  Israel  until  he  submitted  to  that  flesh-cutting 
operation.  A  circumcised  beggar  was  nearer  to  God 
than  an  uncircumcised  king.  So,  also,  now,  there  can 
be  no  participation  in  the  joys  of  God's  redeemed, 
save  by  the  cross  of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ ;  and  that 
cross  sweeps  away  all  pretensions,  levels  all  distinc- 
tions, and  unites  all  in  one  holy  congregation  of 
blood- washed  worshipers.  The  cross  forms  a  bound- 
ary so  lofty,  and  a  defense  so  impenetrable,  that 
not  a  single  atom  of  earth  or  of  nature  can  cross 
over  or  pass  through  to  mingle  itself  with  ' '  the  new 
creation."  "All  things  arc  of  God,  who  hath 
reconciled  us  to  Himself."  (2  Cor.  v.  18.) 

But  not  only  was  Israel's  separation  from  all 
strangers  strictly  maintained,  in  the  institution  of  the 
passover  ;  Israel's  unity  was  also  as  clearly  enforced. 
"In  one  house  shall  it  be  eaten :  thou  shalt  not  carry 
forth  aught  of  the  flesh  abroad  out  of  the  house : 


162  EXODUS. 

neither  shall  ye  break  a  bone  thereof."  (Yer.  4G.) 
Here  is  as  fair  and  beauteous  a  type  as  we  could  have 
of  the  c '  one  body  and  one  Spirit. ' '  The  Church  of 
God  is  one.  God  sees  it  as  such,  maintains  it  as  such, 
and  will  manifest  it  as  such,  in  the  view  of  angels, 
men,  and  devils,  notwithstanding  all  that  has  been 
done  to  interfere  with  that  hallowed  unity.  Blessed 
be  God,  the  unity  of  His  Church  is  as  much  in  His 
keeping  as  is  her  justification,  acceptance,  and  eter- 
nal security.  "He  keepeth  all  his  bones;  not  one 
of  them  is  broken."  (Ps.  xxxiv.  20.)  And  again, 
"A  bone  of  Him  shall  not  be  broken."  (John 
xix.  36. )  Despite  the  rudeness  and  hard-heartedness 
of  Rome's  soldiery,  and  despite  all  the  hostile  influ- 
ences which  have  been  set  to  work,  from  a^e  to  age, 

t  O  O      ' 

the  body  of  Christ  is  one  and  its  divine  unity  can 
never  be  broken.  "THERE  IS  ONE  BODY  AND 
ONE  SPIRIT  ;  "  and  that,  moreover,  down  here  on 
this  very  earth.  Happy  are  they  who  have  got  faith 
to  recognize  this  precious  truth,  and  faithfulness  to 
carry  it  out,  in  these  last  days,  notwithstanding  the 
almost  insuperable  difficulties  which  attend  upon 
their  profession  and  their  practice.  I  believe  God 
will  own  and  honor  such. 

The  Lord  deliver  us  from  that  spirit  of  unbelief 
which  would  lead  us  to  judge  by  the  sight  of  our 
eyes,  instead  of  by  the  light  of  His  changeless 
Word. 


CHAPTER  XIII. 

In  the  opening  verses  of  this  chapter  we  are  taught,^ 
clearly  and  distinctly,  that  personal  devotedness  and 
personal  holiness  are  fruits  which  redeeming  love 
produces  in  those  who  are  the  happy  subjects  thereof. 
The  dedication  of  the  first-born  and  the  feast  of  un- 
leavened bread  are  here  set  forth  in  their  immediate 
connection  with  the  deliverance  of  the  people  out 
of  the  land  of  Egypt. — "  'Sanctify  unto  Me  all  the 
first-born,  whatsoever  openeth  the  womb  among  the 
children  of  Israel,  both  of  man  and  of  beast :  it  is 
Mine.'  And  Moses  said  unto  the  people,  'Remem- 
ber this  day,  in  which  ye  came  out  from  Eg}7pt,  out 
of  the  house  of  bondage ;  for  by  strength  of  hand 
the  Lord  brought  you  out  from  this  place :  there 
shall  no  leavened  bread  be  eaten/  '  And  again, 
"Seven  days  thou  shalt  eat  unleavened  bread,  and 
in  the  seventh  day  shall  be  a  feast  unto  the  Lord. 
Unleavened  bread  shall  be  eaten  seven  days ;  and 
there  shall  no  leavened  bread  be  seen  with  thee ; 
neither  shall  there  be  leaven  seen  with  thee  in  all" 
thy  quarters." 

Then  we  have  the  reason  of  both  these  significant 
observances  laid  down. — "And  thou  shalt  show  thy 
son  in  that  day,  saying,  This  is  done  because  of  that 
which  the  Lord  did  unto  me  when  I  came  forth  out 
of  Egypt."  And  again,  "It  shall  be,  when  thy  son 
asketh  thee  in  time  to  come,  saying,  What  is  this  ? 


164  EXODUS. 

that  thou  shalt  say  unto  him,  By  strength  of  hand 
the  Lord  brought  us  out  from  Egypt,  from  the  house 
of  bondage.  And  it  came  to  pass,  when  Pharaoh 
would  hardly  let  us  go,  that  the  Lord  slew  all  the 
first-born  in  the  land  of  Egypt,  both  the  first-born 
of  man  and  the  first-born  of  beast ;  therefore  I  sac- 
rifice to  the  Lord  all  that  openeth  the  matrix,  being 
males ;  but  all  the  first-born  of  my  children  I 
redeem." 

The  more  fully  we  enter,  by  the  power  of  the 
Spirit  of  God,  into  the  redemption  which  is  in  Christ 
Jesus,  the  more  decided  will  be  our  separation,  and 
the  more  whole-hearted  will  be  our  devotedness.  The 
effort  to  produce  either  the  one  or  the  other,  until 
redemption  is  known,  will  prove  the  most  hopeless 
labor  possible.  All  our  doings  must  be  "because  of 
that  which  the  Lord  hath  done,"  and  not  in  order  to 
get  anything  from  Him.  Efforts  after  life  and  peace 
prove  that  we  are,  as  yet,  strangers  to  the  power  of 
the  blood  ;  whereas  the  pure  fruits  of  an  experienced 
redemption  are  to  the  praise  of  Him  who  has  re- 
deemed us.  "For  by  grace  are  ye  saved  through 
faith ;  and  that  not  of  jmirselves :  it  is  the  gift  of 
God :  not  of  works,  lest  any  man  should  boast.  For 
we  arc  His  workmanship,  created  in  Christ  Jesus 
unto  good  works,  which  God  hath  before  prepared 
that  we  should  walk  in  them."  (Eph.  ii.  8-10.)  God 
has  already  prepared  a  path  of  good  works  for  us  to 
walk  in  ;  and  He,  by  grace,  prepares  us  to  walk 
therein.  It  is  only  as  saved  that  wre  can  walk  in 
such  a  path.  Were  it  otherwise,  we  might  boast; 


CHAPTER    XIII.  165 

but  seeing  that  we  ourselves  are  as  much  God's 
workmanship  as  the  path  in  which  we  walk,  there  is 
no  room  whatever  for  boasting. 

True  Christianity  is  but  the  manifestation  of  the 
life  of  Christ,  implanted  in  us  by  the  operation  of 
the  Holy  Ghost,  in  pursuance  of  God's  eternal 
counsels  of  sovereign  grace ;  and  all  our  doings 
previous  to  the  implantation  of  this  life  are  but 
"dead  works,"  from  which  we  need  to  have  our 
consciences  purged  just  as  much  as  from  "  wicked 
works."  (Heb.  ix.  14.)  The  term  "dead  works" 
comprehends  all  works  which  men  do  with  the  direct 
object  of  getting  life.  If  a  man  is  seeking  for  life, 
it  is  very  evident  that  he  has  not  yet  gotten  it.  He 
may  be  very  sincere  in  seeking  it,  but  his  very  sin- 
cerity only  makes  it  the  more  obvious  that,  as  yet, 
he  has  not  consciously  reached  it.  Hence,  therefore, 
everything  done  in  order  to  get  life  is  a  dead  work, 
inasmuch  as  it  is  done  without  life — the  life  of 
Christ,  the  only  true  life,  the  only  source  from 
whence  good  works  can  flow.  And,  observe,  it  is 
not  a  question  of  "wicked  works;"  no  one  would 
think  of  getting  life  by  such.  No ;  you  will  find,  on 
the  contrary,  that  persons  continually  have  recourse 
to  "dead  works,"  in  order  to  ease  their  consciences, 
under  the  sense  of  "wicked  works,"  whereas  divine 
revelation  teaches  us  that  the  conscience  needs  to  be 
purged  from  the  one  as  well  as  the  other. 

Again,  as  to  righteousness,  we  read  that  "all  our 
righteousnesses  are  as  filthy  rags."  It  is  not  said 
that  all  our  wickednesses,  merely,  are  as  filthy  rags. 
12 


16G  EXODUS. 

This  would  at  once  be  admitted.  Bat  the  fact  is, 
that  the  very  best  fruit  which  we  can  produce,  in  the 
shape  of  religiousness  and  righteousness,  is  repre- 
sented, on  the  page  of  eternal  truth,  as  "dead 
works,"  and  "filthy  rags."  Our  very  efforts  after 
life  do  but  prove  us  to  be  dead,  and  our  very  efforts 
after  righteousness  do  but  prove  us  to  be  enwrapped 
in  filthy  rags.  It  is  only  as  the  actual  possessors  of 
eternal  life  and  divine  righteousness  that  we  can 
walk  in  the  divinely  prepared  path  of  good  works. 
Dead  works  and  filthy  rags  could  never  be  suffered 
to  appear  in  such  a  path.  None  but  "the  redeemed 
of  the  Lord ' '  can  walk  therein.  It  was  as  a  redeemed 
people  that  Israel  kept  the  feast  of  unleavened  bread, 
and  dedicated  their  first-born  to  Jehovah.  The  for- 
mer of  these  observances  we  have  already  considered ; 
as  to  the  latter,  it  contains  a  rich  mine  of  instruction. 
The  destroying  angel  passed  through  the  land  of 
Egypt  to  destroy  all  the  first-born ;  but  Israel's 
first-born  escaped  through  the  death  of  a  divinely 
provided  substitute.  Accordingly,  these  latter  ap- 
pear before  us,  in  this  chapter,  as  a  living  people, 
dedicated  to  God.  Saved  by  the  blood  of  the  lamb, 
they  are  privileged  to  consecrate  their  ransomed  life 
to  Him  who  had  ransomed  it.  Thus  it  was  only  as 
redeemed  that  they  possessed  life.  The  grace  of 
God  alone  had  made  them  to  differ,  and  had  given 
them  the  place  of  living  men  in  His  presence.  In 
their  case,  assuredly,  there  was  no  room  for  boast- 
ing ;  for,  as  to  any  personal  merit  or  worthiness,  we 
learn  from  this  chapter  that  they  were  put  on  a  level 


CHAPTER    XIII.  167 

with  an  unclean  and  worthless  thing. — "Every  first- 
ling of  an  ass  thou  slialt  redeem  with  a  lamb  ;  and 
if  thou  wilt  not  redeem  it,  then  thou  shalt  break  his 
neck  ;  and  all  the  first-born  of  man  among  thy  chil- 
dren shalt  thou  redeem."  (Ver.  13.)  There  were 
two  classes — the  clean  and  the  unclean,  and  man 
was  classed  with  the  latter.  The  lamb  was  to  answer 
for  the  unclean  ;  and  if  the  ass  were  not  redeemed, 
his  neck  was  to  be  broken  ;  so  that  an  unredeemed 
man  was  put  upon  a  level  with  an  unclean  animal, 
and  that,  moreover,  in  a  condition  than  which  no- 
thing could  be  more  worthless  and  unsightly.  What 
a  humiliating  picture  of  man  in  his  natural  condition ! 
O,  that  our  poor  proud  hearts  could  enter  more  into 
it !  Then  should  we  rejoice  more  unfcignedly  in  the 
happy  privilege  of  being  washed  from  our  guilt  in 
the  blood  of  the  Lamb,  and  having  all  our  personal 
vileness  left  behind  forever,  in  the  tomb  where  our 
Surety  lay  buried. 

Christ  was  the  Lamb — the  clean,  the  spotless 
Lamb :  we  were  unclean ;  but  (forever  adored  be 
His  matchless  name!)  He  took  our  position,  and, 
o?i  the  cross,  was  made  sUi,  and  treated  as  such. 
That  which  we  should  have  endured  throughout  the 
countless  ages  of  eternity,  He  endured  for  us  on  the 
tree.  He  bore  all  that  was  due  to  us,  there  and 
then,  in  order  that  we  might  enjoy  what  is  due  to 
Him,  forever.  He  got  our  deserts  that  we  might 
get  His.  The  clean  took,  for  a  time,  the  place  of 
the  unclean,  in  order  that  the  unclean  might  take 
forever  the  place  of  the  clean.  Thus,  whereas  by 


168  EXODUS. 

nature  we  are  represented  by  the  loathsome  figure 
of  an  ass  with  his  neck  broken,  by  grace  we  are 
represented  by  a  risen  and  glorified  Christ  in  heaven. 
Amazing  contrast !  It  lays  man's  glory  in  the  dust, 
and  magnifies  the  riches  of  redeeming  love.  It 
silences  man's  empty  boastings,  and  puts  into  his 
mouth  a  hymn  of  praise  to  God  and  the  Lamb,  which 
shall  swell  throughout  the  courts  of  heaven  during 
the  everlasting  ages.* 

How  forcibly  is  one  here  reminded  of  the  apostle's 
memorable  and  weighty  words  to  the  Romans,  "Now 
if  we  be  dead  with  Christ,  we  believe  that  we  shall 
also  live  with  Him  :  knowing  that  Christ  being  raised 
from  the  dead  dieth  no  more ;  death  hath  no  more 
dominion  over  Him.  For  in  that  He  died,  He  died 
unto  sin  once  ;  but  in  that  He  liveth,  He  liveth  unto 
God.  Likewise  reckon  ye  also  yourselves  to  be  dead 
indeed  unto  sin,  but  alive  unto  God  through  Jesus 
Christ  our  Lord.  Let  not  sin  therefore  reign  in 
your  mortal  body,  that  ye  should  obey  it  in  the 

*It  is  interesting  to  see  that  by  nature  we  are  ranked  with  an 
unclean  animal;  by  grace  we  are  associated  with  Christ  the 
spotless  Lamb.  There  can  be  ^othing  lower  than  the  place  which 
belongs  to  us  by  nature :  nothing  higher  than  that  which  belongs 
to  us  by  grace.  Look,  for  example,  at  an  ass  with  his  neck  broken  ; 
there  is  what  an  unredeemed  man  is  worth.  Look  at "  the  precious 
blood  of  Christ;"  there  is  what  a  redeemed  man  is  worth.  "Unto 
you  that  believe  is  the  preciousness."  That  is,  all  who  arc  washed 
in  the  blood  partake  of  Christ's  preciousness.  As  He  is  "a  living 
stone,"  they  are  "  living  stones ; "  as  He  is  "  a  precious  stone,"  they 
are  "precious  stones."  They  get  life  and  preciousness  all  from 
Him  and  in  Him.  They  are  as  He  is.  Every  stone  in  the  edifice 
is  precious,  because  purchased  at  no  less  a  price  than  "the  blood 
of  the  Lamb."  May  the  people  of  God  know  more  fully  their  place 
and  privileges  in  Christ ! 


CHAPTER    XIII.  169 

lusts  thereof.  Neither  yield  ye  your  members  as 
instruments  of  unrighteousness  unto  sin ;  but  }Tield 
yourselves  unto  God,  as  those  that  are  alive  from 
the  dead,  and  your  members  as  instruments  of 
righteousness  unto  God.  For  sin  shall  not  have 
dominion  over  you ;  for  ye  are  not  under  the  law, 
but  under  grace."  (Rom.  vi.  8-14.)  We  arc  not 
only  ransomed  from  the  power  of  death  and  the 
grave,  but  also  united  to  Him  who  has  ransomed  us 
at  the  heavy  cost  of  His  own  precious  life,  that  we 
might,  in  the  energy  of  the  Holy  Ghost,  dedicate 
our  new  life,  with  all  its  powers,  to  His  service,  so 
that  His  worthy  name  may  be  glorified  in  us  accord- 
ing to  the  will  of  God  and  our  Father. 

We  are  furnished,  in  the  last  few  verses  of  Exodus 
xiii,  with  a  touching  and  beautiful  example  of  the 
Lord's  tender  consideration  of  His  people's  need. 
4 '  He  knoweth  our  frame  ;  He  remembereth  that  we 
are  dust."  (Psalm  ciii.  14.)  When  He  redeemed 
Israel  and  took  them  into  relationship  with  Himself, 
He,  in  His  unfathomed  and  infinite  grace,  charged 
Himself  with  all  their  need  and  weakness.  It  mat- 
tered not  what  they  were  or  what  they  needed  when 
I  AM  was  with  them,  in  all  the  exhaustless  treasures 
of  that  name.  He  had  to  conduct  them  from  Egypt 
to  Canaan,  and  we  here  find  Him  occupying  Himself 
in  selecting  a  suitable  path  for  them. — "And  it  came 
to  pass,  when  Pharaoh  had  let  the  people  go,  that 
God  led  them  not  through  the  way  of  the  land  of  the 
Philistines,  although  that  was  near;  for  God  said, 
4  Lest  perad venture  the  people  repent  when  they  see 


170  EXODUS. 

war,  and  they  return  to  Egypt;'  but  God  led  the 
people  about  through  the  way  of  the  wilderness  of 
the  Eed  Sea."  (Ver.  17,  18.) 

The  Lord,  in  His  condescending  grace,  so  orders 
for  His  people  that  they  do  not,  at  their  first  setting 
out,  encounter  heavy  trials,  which  might  have  the 
effect  of  discouraging  their  hearts  and  driving  them 
back.  "The  way  of  the  wilderness"  was  a  much 
more  protracted  route  ;  but  God  had  deep  and  varied 
lessons  to  teach  His  people,  which  could  only  be 
learnt  in  the  desert.  They  were  afterwards  reminded 
of  this  fact,  in  the  following  passage:  "And  thou 
shalt  remember  all  the  way  which  the  Lord  thy  God 
led  thee  these  forty  years  in  the  wilderness,  to 
humble  thee,  and  to.  prove  thee,  to  know  what  was 
in  thine  heart,  whether  thou  wouldest  keep  His  com- 
mandments or  no.  And  He  humbled  thee,  and 
suffered  thee  to  hunger,  and  fed  thee  with  manna, 
which  thou  knewest  not,  neither  did  thy  fathers 
know  ;  that  He  might  make  thee  know  that  man  doth 
not  live  by  bread  only,  but  by  every  word  that 
proceedeth  out  of  the  mouth  of  the  Lord  doth  man 
live.  Thy  raiment  waxed  not  old  upon  thee,  neither 
did  thy  foot  swell,  these  forty  years."  (Deut.  viii. 
2-4.)  Such  precious  lessons  as  these  could  never 
have  been  learnt  in  "the  way  of  the  land  of  the 
Philistines."  In  that  way,  they  might  have  learnt 
what  ivar  was,  at  an  early  stage  of  their  career ;  but 
"in  the  way  of  the  wilderness,"  they  learnt  what 
flesh  was,  in  all  its  crookedness,  unbelief,  and  rebel- 
lion. But  I  AM  was  there,  in  all  His  patient  grace, 


CHAPTER    XIII.  171 

unerring  wisdom,  and  infinite  power.  None  but 
Himself  could  have  met  the  demand  ;  none  but  He 
could  endure  the  opening  up  of  the  depths  of  a 
human  heart.  To  have  my  heart  unlocked  any 
where,  save  in  the  presence  of  infinite  grace,  would 
plunge  me  in  hopeless  despair.  The  heart  of  man 
is  but  a  little  hell.  What  boundless  mercy,  then,  to 
be  delivered 'from  its  terrible  depths  ! 

U0h,  to  grace  liow  great  a  debtor 

Daily  I'm  constrained  to  be  ! 
Let  that  grace,  Lord,  like  a  fetter, 
Bind  my  wandering  heart  to  Thee  !" 

"And  they  took  their  journey  from  Succoth,  and 
encamped  in  Etham,  in  the  edge  of  the  wilderness. 
And  the  Lord  went  before  them  by  day  in  a  pillar 
of  a  cloud,  to  lead  them  the  way ;  and  by  night  in  a 
pillar  of  fire,  to  give  them  light ;  to  go  by  day  and 
night :  He  took  not  away  the  pillar  of  the  cloud  by 
day,  nor  the  pillar  of  fire  by  night,  from  before  the 
people."  Jehovah  not  only  selected  a  path  for  His 
people,  but  He  also  came  down  to  walk  with  them 
therein,  and  make  Himself  known  to  them  according 
to  their,  need.  He  not  only  conducted  them  safely 
outside  the  bounds  of  Egypt,  but  He  also  came 
down,  as  it  were,  in  His  traveling  chariot,  to  be  their 
Companion  through  all  the  vicissitudes  of  their  wil- 
derness journey.  This  was  divine  grace.  They 
were  not  merely  delivered  out  of  the  furnace  of 
Egypt  and  then  allowed  to  make  the  best  of  their 
way  to  Canaan — such  was  not  God's  manner  toward 
them.  He  knew  that  they  had  a  toilsome  and  per- 


172  EXODUS. 

ilous  journey  before  them,  through  serpents  and 
scorpions,  snares  and  difficulties,  drought  and  bar- 
renness ;  and  He,  blessed  be  His  name  forever, 
would  not  suffer  them  to  go  alone.  He  would  be 
the  Companion  of  all  their  toils  and  dangers ;  yea, 
"He  went  before  them."  He  was  "a  guide,  a 
glory,  a  defense,  to  save  from  every  fear."  Alas  ! 
that  they  should  ever  have  grieved  that  blessed  One 
by  their  hardness  of  heart.  Had  they  only  walked 
humbly,  contentedly,  and  confidingly  with  Him, 
their  march  would  have  been  a  triumphant  one  from 
first  to  last.  With  Jehovah  in  their  forefront,  no 
power  could  have  interrupted  their  onward  progress 
from  Egypt  to  Canaan.  He  would  have  carried  them 
through  and  planted  them  in  the  mountain  of  His 
inheritance,  according  to  His  promise,  and  by  the 
power  of  His  right  hand ;  nor  should  as  much  as  a 
single  Canaanite  have  been  allowed  to  remain  therein 
to  be  a  thorn  in  their  side.  Thus  will  it  be  by  and 
by,  when  Jehovah  shall  set  His  hand  a  second  time 
to  deliver  His  people  from  under  the  power  of  all 
their  oppressors.  May  the  Lord  hasten  the  time  ! 


CHAPTER  XIV. 

M  nHHEY  that  go  down  to  the  sea  in  ships,  that  do 
business  in  great  waters  ;  these  see  the  works 
of  the  Lord,  and  His  wonders  in  the  deep."  (Psalm 
cvii.  23,  24. )  How  true  is  this  !  and  yet  our  coward 
hearts  do  so  shrink  from  those  " great  waters."  We 


CHAPTER    XIV.  173 

prefer  carrying  on  our  traffic  in  the  shallows,  and, 
as  a  result,  we  fail  to  see  "the  works"  and  "won- 
ders'7 of  our  God ;  for  these  can  only  be  seen  and 
known  uin  the,  deep." 

It  is  in  the  day  of  trial  and  difficulty  that  the  soul 
experiences  something  of  the  deep  and  untold  bless- 
edness of  being  able  to  count  on  God.  Were  all  to 
go  on  smoothly,  this  would  not  be  so.  It  is  not  in 
gliding  along  the  surface  of  a  tranquil  lake  that  the 
reality  of  the  Master's  presence  is  felt ;  but  actually 
when  the  tempest  roars,  and  the  waves  roll  over  the 
ship.  The  Lord  does  not  hold  out  to  us  the  prospect 
of  exemption  from  trial  and  tribulation ;  quite  the 
opposite :  He  tells  us  we  shall  have  to  meet  both  the 
one  and  the  other ;  but  He  promises  to  be  with  us  in 
them,  and  this  is  infinitely  better.  God's  presence 
in  the  trial  is  much  better  than  exemption  from  the 
trial.  The  sympathy  of  His  heart  ivith  us  is  sweeter 
far  than  the  power  of  His  hand  for  us.  The  Master's 
presence  with  His  faithful  servants  while  passing 
through  the  furnace  was  better  far  than  the  display 
of  His  power  to  keep  them  out  of  it.  (Dan.  iii.) 
We  would  frequently  desire  to  be  allowed  to  pass  on 
our  way  without  trial,  but  this  would  involve  serious 
loss.  The  Lord's  presence  is  never  so  sweet  as  in 
moments  of  appalling  difficulty. 

Thus  it  was  in  Israel's  case,  as  recorded  in  this 
chapter.  They  are  brought  into  an  overwhelming 
difficulty:  they  are  called  to  "do  business  in  great 
waters:  "  "they  are  at  their  wit's  end."  Pharaoh, 
repenting  himself  of  having  let  them  go  out  of  his 


174  EXODUS. 

land,  determines  to  make  one  desperate  effort  to 
recover  them.  "And  he  made  ready  his  chariot, 
and  took  his  people  with  him ;  and  he  took  six 
hundred  chosen  chariots,  and  all  tbe  chariots  of 
Egypt,  and  captains  over  every  one  of  them.  .  .  . 
And  when  Pharaoh  drew  nigh,  the  children  of  Israel 
lifted  up  their  eyes,  and,  behold,  the  Egyptians 
marched  after  them ;  and  they  were  sore  afraid : 
and  the  children  of  Israel  cried  out  unto  the  Lord." 
Here  was  a  deeply  trying  scene — one  in  which 
human  effort  could  avail  nothing.  As  well  might 
they  have  attempted  to  put  back  with  a  straw  the 
ocean's  mighty  tide,  as  seek  to  extricate  themselves 
by  aught  that  they  could  do.  The  sea  was  before 
them,  Pharaoh's  hosts  behind  them,  and  the  mount- 
ains around  them.  And  all  this,  be  it  observed, 
permitted  and  ordered  of  God.  He  had  marked  out 
their  position  before  "  Pi-hahiroth,  between  Migdol 
and  the  sea,  over  against  Baal-zephon."  Moreover, 
He  permitted  Pharaoh  to  come  upon  them.  And 
why?  Just  to  display  Himself  in  the  salvation  of 
His  people,  and  the  total  overthrow  of  their  enemies. 
"To  Him  that  divided  the  Eed  Sea  into  parts:  for 
His  mercy  endureth  forever:  and  made  Israel  to 
pass  through  the  midst  of  it :  for  His  mercy  endur- 
eth forever :  but  overthrew  Pharaoh  and  his  host  in 
the  Red  Sea:  for  His  mercy' endureth  forever." 
(Ps.  cxxxvi.) 

There  is  not  so  much  as  a  single  position  in  all  the 
desert-wanderings  of  God's  redeemed,  the  bound- 
aries of  which  are  not  marked  off,  with  studious  ac- 


CHAPTER    XIV.  175 

curacy,  by  the  hand  of  unerring  wisdom  and  infinite 
love.  The  special  bearings  and  peculiar  influences 
of  each  position  are  carefully  arranged.  The  Pi- 
hahiroths  and  the  Migdols  are  all  ordered  with  im- 
mediate reference  to  the  moral  condition  of  those 
whom  God  is  conducting  through  the  windings  and 

O  c?  O 

labyrinths  of  the  wilderness,  and  also  to  the  display 
of  His  own  character.  Unbelief  may  ofttimes  sug- 
gest the  inquiry,  Why  is  it  thus  ?  God  knows  why ; 
and  He  will,  without  doubt,  reveal  the  why  whenever 
the  revelation  would  promote  His  glory  and  His 
people's  good.  How  often  do  we  feel  disposed  to 
question  as  to  the  why  and  the  wherefore  of  our 
being  placed  in  such  and  such  circumstances !  How 
often  do  we  perplex  ourselves  as  to  the  reason  of 
our  being  exposed  to  such  and  such  trials  !  How 
much  better  to  bow  our  heads  in  meek  subjection, 
and  say,  "It  is  well,"  and  "it  shall  be  well"! 
When  God  fixes  our  position  for  us,  we  may  rest 
assured  it  is  a  wise  and  salutary  one ;  and  even 
when  we  foolishly  and  willfully  choose  a  position  for 
ourselves,  He  most  graciously  overrules  pur  folly, 
and  causes  the  influences  of  our  self-chosen  circum- 
stances to  work  for  our  spiritual  benefit. 

It  is  when  the  people  of  God  are  brought  into  the 
greatest  straits  and  difficulties,  that' they  are  favored 
with  the  finest  displays  of  God's  character  and  act- 
ings ;  and  for  this  reason  He  ofttimes  leads  them 
into  a  trying  position,  in  order  that  He  may  the 
more  markedly  show  Himself.  He  could  have  con- 
ducted Israel  through  the  Red  Sea,  and  far  beyond 


176  EXODUS. 

the  reach  of  Pharaoh's  hosts,  before  ever  the  latter 
had  started  from  Eg}Tpt;  but  that  would  not  have 
so  fully  glorified  His  own  name,  or  so  entirely  con- 
founded the  enemy,  upon  whom  He  designed  to 
"get  Him  honor."  We  too  frequently  lose  sight  of 
this  great  truth,  and  the  consequence  is  that  our 
hearts  give  way  in  the  time  of  trial.  If  we  could 
only  look  upon  a  difficult  crisis  as  an  occasion  of 
bringing  out,  on  our  behalf,  the  sufficiency  of  divine 
grace,  it  would  enable  us  to  preserve  the  balance  of 
our  souls,  and  to  glorify  God,  even  in  the  deepest 
waters. 

We  feel  disposed,  it  ma}^  be,  to  marvel  at  Israel's 
language  on  the  occasion  now  before  us.  We  may 
feel  at  a  loss  to  account  for  it ;  but  the  more  we 
know  of  our  own  evil  hearts  of  unbelief,  the  more 
we  shall  see  how  marvelously  like  them  we  are. 
They  would  seem  to  have  forgotten  the  recent  dis- 
play of  divine  power  on  their  behalf.  They  had 
seen  the  gods  of  Eg}Tpt  judged,  and  the  power  of 
Egypt  laid  prostrate  beneath  the  stroke  of  Jehovah's 
omnipotent  hand ;  they  had  seen  the  iron  chain  of 
Egyptian  bondage  riven,  and  the  furnace  quenched 
by  th6  same  hand  ; — all  these  things  they  had  seen, 
and  yet  the  moment  a  dark  cloud  appeared  upon 
their  horizon,  their  confidence  gave  way,  their  hearts 
failed,  and  they  gave  utterance  to  their  unbelieving 
murmurings  in  the  following  language:  "Because 
there  were  no  graves  in  Egypt,  hast  thou  taken  us 
away  to  die  in  the  wilderness  ?  Wherefore  hast  thou 
dealt  thus  with  us,  to  carry  us  forth  out  of  Egypt  ! 


CHAPTER    XIV.  177 

It  had  been  better  for  us  to  serve  the 

Egyptians  than  that  we  should  die  in  the  wilderness." 
(Ver.  11,  12.)  Thus  is  "blind  unbelief"  ever  "sure 
to  err,  and  scan  God's  ways  in  vain."  This  unbelief 
is  the  same  in  all  ages.  It  led  David,  in  an  evil  hour, 
to  say,  "I  shall  one  day  perish  by  the  hand  of  Saul ; 
there  is  nothing  better  for  me  than  that  I  should 
speedily  escape  into  the  land  of  the  Philistines." 
(1  Sam.  xxvii.  1.)  And  how  did  it  turn  out  ?  Saul 
fell  on  Mount  Gilboa,  and  David's  throne  was  estab- 
lished forever.  Again,  it  led  Elijah  the  Tishbite,  in 
a  moment  of  deep'  depression,  to  flee  for  his  life 
from  the  wrathful  threatenings  of  Jezebel.  How 
did  it  turn  out  ?  Jezebel  was  dashed  to  pieces  on 
the  pavement,  an<*  Elijah  was  taken  in  a  chariot  of 
fire  to  heaven. 

So  it  was  with  Israel  in  their  very  first  moment  of 
trial.  They  really  thought  that  the  Lord  had  taken 
such  pains  to  deliver  them  out  of  Egypt  merely  to 
let  them  die  in  the  wilderness.  They  imagined  that 
they  had  been  preserved  by  the  blood  of  the  paschal 
lamb  in  order  that  they  might  be  buried  in  the  wil- 
derness. Thus  it  is  that  unbelief  ever  reasons.  It 
leads  us  to  interpret  God  in  the  presence  of  the 
difficulty,  instead  of  interpreting  the  difficulty  in  the 
presence  of  God.  Faith  gets  behind  the  difficulty, 
and  there  finds  God,  in  all  His  faithfulness,  love, 
and  power.  It  is  the  believer's  privilege  ever  to  be 
in  the  presence  of  God.  He  has  been  introduced 
thither  by  the  blood  of  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  and 
nothing  should  be  suffered  to  take  him  thence.  The 


178  EXODUS. 

place  itself  he  never  can  lose,  inasmuch  as  his  Head 
and  Representative,  Christ,  occupies  it  on  his  behalf. 
But  although  he  cannot  lose  the  thing  itself,  he  can 
very  easily  lose  the  enjoyment  of  it — the  experience 
and  power  of  it.  Whenever  his  difficulties  come 
between  his  heart  and  the  Lord,  he  is  evidently  not 
enjoying  the  Lord's  presence,  but  suffering  in  the 
presence  of  his  difficulties.  Just  as  when  a  cloud 
comes  between  us  and  the  sun,  it  robs  us,  for  the 
time,  of  the  enjoyment  of  his  beams.  It  does  not 
prevent  him  from  shining,  it  'merely  hinders  our 
enjoyment  of  him.  Exactly  so  is  it  when  we  allow 
trials  and  sorrows,  difficulties  and  perplexities,  to 
hide  from  our  souls  the  bright  beams  of  our  Father's 
countenance,  which  ever  shine,  wkh  changeless  lus- 
tre, in  the  face  of  Jesus  Christ.  There  is  no  difficulty 
too  great  for  our  God ;  yea,  the  greater  the  difficult}', 
the  more  room  there  is  for  Him  to  act  in  His  proper 
character,  as  the  God  of  all  power  and  grace.  No 
doubt  Israel's  position,  in  the  opening  of  our  chap- 
ter, was  a  deeply  trying  one, — to  flesh  and  blood, 
perfectly  overwhelming ;  but  then  the  Maker  of 
heaven  and  earth  was  there,  and  they  had  but  to 
use  Him. 

Yet,  alas  !  my  reader,  how  speedily  we  fail  when 
trial  arises  !  These  sentiments  sound  very  nicely 
on  the  ear,  and  look  very  well  upon  paper  (and, 
blessed  be  God,  they  are  divinely  true)  ;  but  then 
the  thing  is  to  practice  them  when  opportunity  offers. 
It  is  in  the  practice  of  them  that  their  power  and 
blessedness  are  really  proved.  "If  any  man  will  do 


CHAPTER    XIV.  179 

His  will,  lie  shall  know  of  the  doctrine,  whether  it 
be  of  God."  (John  vii.  17.) 

"And  Moses  said  unto  the  people,  'Fear  ye  not, 
stand  still,  and  see  the  salvation  of  the  Lord,  which 
He  will  show  to  you  to-day ;  for  the  Eg}' ptians  whom 
ye  have  "seen  to-day  ye  shall  see  them  again  no  more 
forever.  The  Lord  shall  fight  for  you,  and  ye  shall 
hold  your  peace.'  "  (Ver.  13,  14.)  Here  is  the  first 
attitude  which  faith  takes  in  the  presence  of  a  trial. 
' c  Stand  still. ' '  This  is  impossible  to  flesh  and  blood. 
All  who  know*,  in  any  measure,  the  restlessness  of  the 
human  heart  under  anticipated  trial  and  difficulty, 
will  be  able  to  form  some  conception  of  what  is 
involved  in  standing  still.  Nature  must  be  doing 
something.  It  will  rush  hither  and  thither.  It  would ' 
fain  have  some  hand  in  the  matter.  And  although  it 
may  attempt  to  justify  and  sanctify  its  worthless 
doings,  by  bestowing  upon  them  the  imposing  and 
popular  title  of  ua  legitimate  use  of  means,"  yet 
are  they  the  plain  and  positive  fruits  of  unbelief, 
which  always  shuts  out  God,  and  sees  naught  save 
the  dark  cloud  of  its  own  creation.  Unbelief  creates 
or  magnifies  difficulties,  and  then  sets  us  about  re- 
moving them  by  our  own  bustling  and  fruitless  act- 
ivities, which,  in  reality,  do  but  raise  a  dust  around 
us  which  prevents  our  seeing  God's  salvation. 

Faith,  on  the  contrary,  raises  the  soul  above  the 
difficulty,  straight  to  God  Himself,  and  enables  one 
to  "stand  still."  We  gain  nothing  by  our  restless 
and  anxious  efforts.  "We  cannot  make  one  hair 
white  or  black,"  nor  "add  one  cubit  to  our  stature." 


180  EXODUS. 

What  could  Israel  do  at  the  Red  Sea  ?  Could  they 
dry  it  up  ?  Could  they  level  the  mountains  ?  Could 
they  annihilate  the  hosts  of  Eg}~pt  ?  Impossible  ! 
There  they  were,  inclosed  within  an  impenetrable 
wall  of  difficulties,  in  view  of  which  nature  could  but 
tremble  and  feel  its  own  perfect  impotency.  But 
this  was  just  the  time  for  God  to  act.  When  unbelief 
is  driven  from  the  scene,  then  God  can  enter;  and, 
in  order  to  get  a  proper  view  of  His  actings,  we  must 
"stand  still."  Every  movement  of  nature  is,  so  far 
as  it  goes,  a  positive  hindrance  to  our  ^rception  and 
enjoyment  of  divine  interference  on  our  behalf. 

This  is  true  of  us  in  every  single  stage  of  our  his- 
tory. It  is  true  of  us  as  sinners  when,  tinder  the 
uneasy  sense  of  sin  upon  the  conscience,  we  are 
tempted  to  resort  to  our  own  doings  in  order  to  ob- 
tain relief.  Then,  truly,  we  must  "stand  still"  in 
order  to  usee  the  salvation  of  God."  For  what 
could  we  do  in  the  matter  of  making  an  atonement 
for  sin  ?  Could  we  have  stood  with  the  Son  of  God 
upon  the  cross  ?  Could  we  have  accompanied  Him 
down  into  the  "horrible  pit  and  the  miry  clay"? 
Could  we  have  forced  our  passage  upward  to  that 
eternal  rock  on  which,  in  resurrection,  He  has  taken 
His  stand  ?  Every  right  mind  will  at  once  pronounce 
the  thought  to  be  a  daring  blasphemy.  God  is  alone 
in  redemption  ;  and  as  for  us,  we  have  but  to  "stand 
still,  and  see  the  salvation  of  God."  The  very  fact 
of.  its  being  God's  salvation  proves  that  man  has 
naught  to  do  in  it. 

The  same  is  true  of  us,  from  the  moment  we  have 


CHAPTER    XIV.  181 

entered  upon  our  Christian  career.  In  every  fresh 
difficulty,  be  it  great  or  small,  our  wisdom  is  to  stand 
still — to  cease  from  our  own  works,  and  find  our 
sweet  repose  in  God's  salvation.  Nor  can  we  make 
any  distinction  as  to  difficulties.  We  cannot  say 
that  there  are  some  trifling  difficulties  which  we 
ourselves  can  compass,  while  there  are  others  in 
which  naught  save  the  hand  of  God  can  avail.  No ; 
all  are  alike  beyond  us.  We  are  as  little  able  to 
change  the  color  of  a  hair  as  to  remove  a  mountain, 
— to  form  a  blade  of  grass  as  to  create  a  world.  All 
are  alike  to  us,  and  all  arc  alike  to  God.  We  have 
only,  therefore,  in  confiding  faith,  to  cast  ourselves 
on  Him  who  "humbleth  Himself  [alike]  to  behold  the 
things  that  are  in  heaven  and  on  earth."  We  some- 
times find  ourselves  carried  triumphantly  through 
the  heaviest  trials,  while  at  other  times  we  quail, 
falter,  and  break  clown  under  the  most  ordinary  dis- 
pensations. Why  is  this  ?  Because,  in  the  former, 
we  are  constrained  to  roll  our  burden  over  on  the 
Lord ;  whereas,,  in  the  latter,  we  foolishly  attempt 
to  carry  it  ourselves.  The  Christian  is,  in  himself, 
if  he  only  realized  it,  like  an  exhausted  receiver,  in 
which  a  guinea  and  a  feather  have  equal  momenta. 

"The  Lord  shall  fight  for  you,  and  ye  shall  hold 
your  peace."  Precious  assurance!  How  eminently 
calculated  to  tranquilize  the  spirit  in  view  of  the 
most  appalling  difficulties  and  dangers  !  The  Lord 
not  only  places  Himself  between  us  and  our  sins, 
but  also  between  us  and  our  circumstances.  By 
doing  the  former,  He  gives  us  peace  of  conscience ; 
13 


182  EXODUS. 

by  doing  the  latter,  He  gives  us  peace  of  heart. 
That  the  two  things  are  perfectly  distinct,  every 
experienced  Christian  knows.  Very  many  have 
peace  of  conscience,  who  have  not  peace  of  heart. 
They  have,  through  grace  and  by  faith,  found  Christ, 
in  the  divine  efficacy  of  His  blood,  between  them 
and  all  their  sins  ;  but  they  are  net  able,  in  the  same 
simple  way,  to  realize  Him  as  standing,  in  His  divine 
wisdom,  love,  and  power,  between  them  and  their 
circumstances.  This  makes  a  material  difference  in 
the  practical  condition  of  the  soul,  as  well  as  in  the 
character  of  one's  testimony.  Nothing  tends  more 
to  glorify  the  name  of  Jesus  than  that  quiet  repose 
of  spirit  which  results  from  having  Him  between  us 
and  everything  that  could  be  a  matter  of  anxiety  to 
our  hearts.  "Thou  wilt  keep  him  in  perfect  peace 
whose  mind  is  stayed  on  Thee,  because  he  trusteth 
in  Thee." 

But  some  feel  disposed  to  ask  the  question,  "  Are 
we  not  to  do  anything  ?"  This  may  be  answered  by 
asking  another,  namely,  What  can  *ve  do  ?  All  who 
really  know  themselves  must  answer,  Nothing.  If, 
therefore,  we  can  do  nothing,  had  we  not  better 
"stand  still"  ?  If  the  Lord  is  acting  for  us,  had  we 
not  better  stand  back  ?  Shall  we  run  before  Him  ? 
Shall  we  busily  intrude  ourselves  upon  His  sphere 
of  action  ?  Shall  we  come  in  His  way  ?  There  can 
be  no  possible  use  in  two  acting,  when  one  is  so 
perfectly  competent  to  do  all.  No  one  would  think 
of  bringing  a  lighted  candle  to  add  brightness  to  the 
sun  at  midday :  and  yet  the  man  who  would  do  so 


CHAPTER    XIV.  183 

might  well  be  accounted  wise,  in  comparison  with 
him  who  attempts  to  assist  God  by  his  bustling 
officiotisness. 

However,  when  God,  in  His  great  mercy,  opens  the 
way,  faith  can  walk  therein.  It  only  ceases  from 
man's  way  in  order  to  walk  in  God's.  "And  the 
Lord  said  unto  Moses,  '  Wherefore  criest  thou  unto 
Me  ?  Speak  unto  the  children  of  Israel  that  they  go 
forward. " '  It  is  only  when  we  have  learnt  to  4 '  stand 
still"  that  we  are  able  effectually  to  go  forward.  To 
attempt  the  latter  until  we  have  learnt  the  former 
is  sure  to  issue  in  the  exposure  of  our  folly  and 
weakness.  It  is  therefore  true  wisdom,  in  all  times 
of  difficulty  and  perplexity,  to  "stand  still" — to 
wait  only  upon  God,  and  He  will  assuredly  open  a 
way  for  us  ;  and  then  we  can  peacefully  and  happily 
"go  forward."  There  is  no  uncertainty  when  God 
makes  a  way  for  us ;  but  every  self-devised  path 
must  prove  a  path  of  doubt  and  hesitation.  The  un- 
regenerate  man  may  move  along  with  great  apparent 
firmness  and  decision  in  his  own  ways ;  but  one  of 
the  most  distinct  elements  in  the  new  creation  is 
self-distrust,  and  the  element  which  answers  thereto 
is  confidence  in  God.  It  is  when  our  eyes  have  seen 
God's  salvation  that  we  can  walk  therein  ;  but  this 
can  never  be  distinctly  seen  until  we  have  been 
brought  to  the  end  of  -our  own  poor  doings. 

There  is  peculiar  force  and  beauty  in  the  expres- 
sion, "See  the  salvation  of  God."  The  very  fact  of 
our  being  called  to  "see"  God's  salvation,  proves 
that  the  salvation  is  a  complete  one.  It  teaches  that 


184  EXODUS. 

salvation  is  a  thing  wrought  out  and  revealed  by 
God,  to  be  seen  and  enjoyed  by  us.  It  is  not  a 
thing  made  up  partly  of  God's  doing  and  partly  of 
man's.  Were  it  so,  it  could  not  be  called  God's 
salvation.  In  order  to  be  His,  it  must  be  wholly 
divested  of  everything  pertaining  to  man.  The  only 
possible  effect  of  human  efforts  is  to  raise  a  dust 
which  obscures  the  view  of  God's  salvation. 

"Speak  to  the  children  of  Israel  that  they  go  for- 
ward." Moses  himself  seems  to  have  been  brought 
to  a  stand,  as  it  appears  from  the  Lord's  question — 
' '  Wherefore  criest  thou  to  Me  ? ' '  Moses  could  tell 
the  people  to  u  stand  still,  and  see  the  salvation  of 
God,"  while  his  own  spirit  was  giving  forth  its 
exercises  in  an  earnest  cry  to  God.  However,  there 
is  no  use  in  crying  when  we  ought  to  be  acting  ;  just 
as  there  is  no  use  in  acting  when  we  ought  to  be 
waiting.  Yet  such  is  ever  our  way.  We  attempt  to 
move  forward  when  we  ought  to  stand  still,  and  we 
stand  'still  when  we  ought  to  move  forward.  In 
Israel's  case,  the  question  might  spring  up  in  the 
heart,  Whither  are  we  to  go?  To  all  appearance, 
there  lay  an  insurmountable  barrier  in  the  way  of 
any  movement  forward.  How  were  they  to  go 
through  the  sea?  This  was  the  point.  Nature  could 
never  solve  this  question.  But  we  may  rest  assured 
that  God  never  gives  a  command  without,  at  the  same 
time,  communicating  the  power  to  obey.  The  real 
condition  of  the  heart  may  be  tested  by  the  com- 
mand ;  but  the  soul  that  is,  by  grace,  disposed  to 
obey,  receives  power  .from  above  to  do  so.  When 


CHAPTER    XIV.  185 

Christ  commanded  the  man  with  the  withered  hand 
to  stretch  it  forth,  the  man  might  naturally  have  said, 
How  can  I  stretch*  forth  an  arm  which  hangs  dead 
by  my  side  ?  But  he  did  not  raise  any  question 
whatever,  for  with  the  command,  and  from  the  same 
source,  came  the  power  to  obey. 

Thus,  too,  in  Israel's  case,  we  see  that  with  the 
command  to  go  forward  came  the  provision  of  grace. 
4 'But  lift  thou  up  thy  rod,  and  stretch  out  thy  hand 
over  the  sea,  and  divide  it;  and  the  children  of 
Israel  shall  go  on  dry  ground  through  the  midst  of 
the  sea."  Here  was  the  path  of  faith.  The  hand 
of  God  opens  the  way  for  us  to  take  the  first  step, 
and  this  is  all  that  faith  ever  asks.  God  never  gives 
guidance  for  two  steps  at  a  time.  I  must  take  one 
step,  and  then  I  get  light  for  the  next.  This  keeps 
the  heart  in  abiding  dependence  upon  God.  "By 
faith  they  passed  through  the  Red  Sea  as  by  dry 
land."  It  is  evident  that  the  sea  was  not  divided 
throughout  at  once.  Had  it  been  so,  it  would  have 
been  u sight"  and  not  u faith."  It  does  not  require 
faith  to  begin  a  journey  when  I  can  see  all  the  way 
through ;  but  to  begin  when  I  can  merely  see  the 
first  step,  this  is  faith.  The  sea  opened  as  Israel 
moved  forward,  so  that  for  every  fresh  step  they 
needed  to  be  cast  upon  God.  Such  was  the  path 
along  which  the  redeemed  of  the  Lord  moved,  under 
His  own  conducting  hand.  They  passed  through 
the  dark  waters  of  death,  and  found  these  very 
waters  to  be  ua  wall  unto  them,  on  their  right  hand 
and  on  their  left." 


186  EXODUS. 

The  Egyptians  could  not  move  in  such  a  path  as 
this.  They  moved  on  because  they  saw  the  way 
open  before  them :  with  them  it  was  sight,  and  not 
faith, — "  Which  the  Eg}^ptians  assaying  to  do  were 
drowned."  When  people  assay  to  do  what  faith 
alone  can  accomplish,  they  only  encounter  defeat 
and  confusion.  The  path  along  which  God  calls 
His  people  to  walk  is  one  which  nature  can  never 
tread.  "  Flesh  and  blood  cannot  inherit  the  king- 
dom of  God"  (1  Cor.  xv.  50.),  neither  can  it  walk 
in  the  ways  of  God.  Faith  is  the  great  character- 
istic principle  of  God's  kingdom,  and  faith  alone 
can  enable  us  to  walk  in  God's  ways.  "Without 
faith  it  is  impossible  to  please  God."  (Heb.  xi.)  It 
glorifies  God  exceedingly  when  we  move  on  with 
Him,  as  it  were,  blindfold.  It  proves  that  we  have 
more  confidence  in  His  eyesight  than  in  our  own. 
If  I  know  that  God  is  looking  out  for  me,  I  may 
well  close  my  eyes,  and  move  on  in  holy  calmness 
and  stability.  In  human  affairs,  we  know  that  when 
there  is  a  sentinel  or  watchman  at  his  post,  others 
can  sleep  quietly.  How  much  more  may  we  rest  in 
perfect  security  when  we  know  that  He  who  neither 
slumbers  nor  sleeps  has  His  eye  upon  us,  and  His 
everlasting  arms  around  us  ! 

"And  the  angel  of  God  which  went  before  the 
camp  of  Israel,  removed  and  went  behind  them  ; 
and  the  pillar  of  the  cloud  went  from  before  their 
face,  and  stood  behind  them.  And  it  came  between 
the  camp  of  the  Egyptians  and  the  camp  of  Israel ; 
and  it  was  a  cloud  and  darkness  to  them,  but  it  gave 


CHAPTER    XIV.  187 

light  by  night  to  these ;  so  that  the  one  came  not 
near  the  other  all  the  night."  (Ver.  19,  20.)  Jeho- 
vah placed  Himself  right  between  Israel  and  the 
enemy :  this  was  protection  indeed.  Before  ever 
Pharaoh  could  touch  a  hair  of  Israel's  head,  he 
should  make  his  way  through  the  very  pavilion  of 
the  Almighty — yea,  through  the  Almighty  Himself. 
Thus  it  is  that  God  ever  places  Himself  between  His 
people  and  every  enemy,  so  that c '  no  weapon  formed 
against  them  can  prosper."  He  has  placed  Himself 
between  us  and  our  sins ;  and  it  is  our  happy  priv- 
ilege to  find  Him  between  us  and  every  one  and 
every  thing  that  could  be  against  us.  This  is  the 
true  way  in  which  to  find  both  peace  of  heart  and 
peace  of  conscience.  The  believer  may  institute  a 
diligent  and  anxious  search  for  his  sins,  but  lit)  can- 
not find  them.  Why  ?  Because  God  is  between 
him  and  them.  He  has  cast  all  our  sins  behind  His 
back,  while,  at  the  same  time,  He  sheds  forth  upon 
us  the  light  of  His  reconciled  countenance. 

In  the  same  manner,  the  believer  may  look  for  his 
difficulties,  and  not  find  them,  because  God  is  be- 
tween him  and  them.  If,  therefore,  the  eye,  instead 
of  resting  on  our  sins  and  sorrows,  could  rest  only 
upon  Christ,  it  would  sweeten  many  a  bitter  cup, 
and  enlighten  many  a  gloomy  hour.  But  one  finds 
constantly  that  nine-tenths  of  our  trials  and  sorrows 
are  made  up  of  anticipated  or  imaginary  evils,  which 
only  exist  in  our  own  disordered,  because  unbeliev- 
ing, minds.  May  my  reader  know  the  solid  peace, 
both  of  heart  and  conscience,  which  results  from 


188  EXODUS. 

having  Christ,  in  all  His  fullness,  between  him  and 
all  his  sins  and  all  his  sorrows. 

It  is  at  once  most  solemn  and  interesting  to  note 
the  double  aspect  of  the  "pillar"  in  this  chapter. 
"It  was  a  cloud  and  darkness"  to  the  Egj^ptians, 
but  "it  gave  light  by  night"  to  Israel.  How  like 
the  cross  of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ !  Truly,  that 
cross  has  a  double  aspect  likewise.  It  forms  the 
foundation  of  the  believer's  peace,  and,  at  the  same 
time,  seals  the  condemnation  of  a  guilty  world.  The 
self-same  blood  which  purges  the  believer's  con- 
science and  gives  him  perfect  peace,  stains  this  earth 
and  consummates  its  guilt.  The  very  mission  of  the 
Son  of  God  which  strips  the  world  of  its  cloak,  and 
leaves  it  wholly  without  excuse,  clothes  the  Church 
with  &  fair  mantle  of  righteousness,  and  fills  her 
mouth  with  ceaseless  praise.  The  very  same  Lamb 
who  will  terrify,  by  His  unmitigated  wrath,  all  tribes 
and  classes  of  earth,  will  lead,  by  His  gentle  hand, 
His  blood-bought  flock  through  the  green  pastures 
and  beside  the  still  waters  forever.  (Compare  Rev. 
vi.  15-17  with  vii.  13-17.) 

The  close  of  our  chapter  shows  us  Israel  triumph- 
ant on  the  shore  of  the  Red  Sea,  and  Pharaoh's  hosts 
submerged  beneath  its  waves.  The  fears  of  the 
former  and  the  boastings  of  the  latter  had  both  alike 
been  proved  utterly  groundless  :  Jehovah's  glorious 
work  had  annihilated  both  the  one  and  the  other. 
The  same  waters  which  formed  a  wall  for  God's  re- 
deemed, formed  a  grave  for  Pharaoh.  Thus  it  is 
ever:  those  who  walk  by  faith  find  a  path  to  walk 


CHAPTER    XIV.  189 

in,  while  all  who  assay  to  do  so  find  a  grave.  This 
is  a  solemn  truth,  which  is  not  in  any  wise  weakened 
by  the  fact  that  Pharaoh  was  acting  in  avowed  and 
positive  hostility  to  God  when  he  c  c  assayed ' '  to  pass 
through  the  Red  Sea.  It  will  ever  be  found  true 
that  all  who  attempt  to  imitate  faith's  actings  will 
be  confounded.  Happy  are  they  who  are  enabled, 
however  feebly,  to  walk  by  faith.  They  are  moving 
along  a  path  of  unspeakable  blessedness, — a  path 
which,  though  it  may  be  marked  by  failure  and  in- 
firmity, is  nevertheless  "begun,  continued,  and 
ended  in  God."  O,  that  we  may  all  enter  more 
fully  into  the  divine  reality,  the  calm  elevation,  and 
the  holy  independence  of  this  path  ! 

We  ought  not  to  turn  from  this  fruitful  section  of 
our  book  without  a  reference  to  1  Cor.  x,  in  which 
we  have  an  allusion  to  "the  cloud  and  the  sea." — 
"Moreover,  brethren,  I  would  not  that  ye  should 
be  ignorant,  how  that  all  our  fathers  were  under  the 
cloud,  and  all  passed  through  the  sea;  and  were  all 
baptized  unto  Moses  in  the  cloud  and  in  the  sea." 
(Ver.  1,  2.)  There  is  much  deep  and  precious 
instruction  for  the  Christian  in  this  passage.  The 
apostle  goes  on  to  say,  "Now  these  things  were  our 
types,"  thus  furnishing  us  with  a  divine  warrant  for 
interpreting  Israel's  baptism  "in  the  cloud  and  in 
the  sea"  in  a  typical  way;  and,  assuredly,  nothing 
could  be  more  deeply  significant  or  practical.  It 
was  as  a  people  thus  baptized  that  they  entered 
upon  their  wilderness  journey,  for  which  provision 
was  made  in  "the  spiritual  meat"  and  "spiritual 


190  EXODUS. 

drink"  provided  by  the  hand  of  love.  In  other 
words,  they  were  typically  a  people  dead  to  Egypt 
and  all  pertaining  thereto.  The  cloud  and  the  sea 
were  to  them  what  the  cross  and  grave  of  Christ  ai  e 
to  us.  The  cloud  secured  them  from  their  enemies  ; 
the  sea  separated  them  from  Egypt:  the  cross,  in 
like  manner,  shields  us  from  all  that  could  be  against 
us,  and  we  stand  at  heaven's  side  of  the  empty  tomb 
of  Jesus.  Here  we  commence  our  wilderness  jour- 
ney,— here  we  begin  to  taste  the  heavenly  Manna, 
and  to  drink  of  the  streams  which  emanate  from 
"that  spiritual  Rock,"  while,  as  a  pilgrim  people, 
we  make  our  way  onward  to  that  land  of  rest  of  the 
which  God  has  spoken  to  us. 

I  would  further  add  here,  that  my  reader  should 
seek  to  understand  the  difference  between  the  Red 
Sea  and  Jordan.  They  both  have  their  antitype  in 
the  death  of  Christ ;  but  in  the  former  we  see  sepa- 
ration from  Eg}Tpt ;  in  the  latter,  introduction  into 
the  land  of  Canaan.  The  believer  is  not  merely 
separated  from  this  present  evil  world  by  the  cross 
of  Christ,  but  he  is  quickened  out  of  the  grave  of 
Christ,  raised  up  together,  and  made  to  sit  together 
in  Christ,  in  the  heavenlies.  (Eph.  ii.  5,  6.)  Hence, 
though  surrounded  by  the  things  of  Egypt,  he  is,  as 
to  his  actual  experience,  in  the  wilderness ;  while, 
at  the  same  time,  he  is  borne  upward,  by  the  energy 
of  faith,  to  that  place  where  Jesus  sits,  at  the  right 
hand  of  God.  Thus,  the  believer  is  not  merely 
"forgiven  all  trespasses,"  but  actually  associated 
with  a  risen  Christ  in  heaven ; — he  is  not  merely 


CHAPTER    XV .  191 


saved  by  Christ,  but  linked  with  Him  forever.  No- 
thing short  of  this  could  either  satisfy  God's  affections 
or  actualize  His  purposes  in  reference  to  the  Church. 
Reader,  do  we  understand  these  things  ?  do  we 
believe  them  ?  are  we  realizing  them  ?  do  we  mani- 
fest the  power  of  them  ?  Blessed  be  the  grace  that 
has  made  them  unalterably  true  with  respect  to 
every  member  of  the  body  of  Christ,  whether  it  be 
an  eye  or  an  eye-lash,  a  hand  or  a  foot.  Their  truth, 
therefore,  does  not  depend  upon  our  manifestation, 
our  realization,  or  our  understanding,  but  upon 
"THE  PRECIOUS  BLOOD  OF  CHRIST,"  which 
has  canceled  all  our  guilt  and  laid  the  foundation  of 
all  God's  counsels  respecting  us.  Here  is  true  rest 
for  every  broken  heart  and  every  burdened  con- 
science. 


CHAPTER  X.V. 

THIS  chapter  opens  with  Israel's  magnificent  song 
of  triumph  on  the  shore  of  the  Red  Sea,  when 
they  had  seen  "that  great  work  which  the  Lord  did 
upon  the  Egyptians."  They  had  seen  God's  salva- 
tion, and  they  therefore  sing  His  praise  and  recount 
His  mighty  acts.  "Then  sang  Moses  and  the  chil- 
dren of  Israel  this  song  unto  the  Lord."  Up  to 
this  moment,  we  have  not  heard  so  much  as  a  single 
note  of  praise.  We  have  heard  their  cry  of  deep 
sorrow  as  they  toiled  amid  the  brick-kilns  of  Egypt, 
we  have  hearkened  to  their  cry  of  unbelief  when 


192  EXODUS. 

surrounded  by  what  they  deemed  insuperable  diffi- 
culties, but,  until  now,  we  have  heard  no  song  of 
praise.  It  was  not  until,  as  a  saved  people,  they 
found  themselves  surrounded  by  the  fruits  of  God's 
salvation,  that  the  triumphal  hymn  burst  forth  from 
the  whole  redeemed  assembly.  It  was  when  they 
emerged  from  their  significant  baptism  "in  the  cloud 
and  in  the  sea,"  and  were  able  to  gaze  upon  the  rich 
spoils  of  victory  which  lay  scattered  around  them, 
that  six  hundred  thousand  voices  were  heard  chant- 
ing the  song  of  victor}7.  The  waters  of  the  Eed  Sea 
rolled  between  them  and  Egypt,  and  they  stood  on 
the  shore  as  a  fully  delivered  people,  and  therefore 
they  were  able  to  praise  Jehovah. 

In  this,  as  in  everything  else,  they  were  our  types. 
We,  too,  must  know  ourselves  as  saved,  in  the  power 
of  death  and  resurrection,  before  ever  we  can  pre- 
sent clear  and  intelligent  worship.  There  will  alwaj^s 
be  reserve  and  hesitancy  in  the  soul,  proceeding,  no 
doubt,  from  positive  inability  to  enter  into  the  ac- 
complished redemption  which  is  in  Christ  Jesus. 
There  may  be  the  acknowledgment  of  the  fact  that 
there  is  salvation  in  Christ,  and  in  none  other ;  but 
this  is  a  very  different  thing  from  apprehending,  by 
faith,  the  true  character  and  ground  of  that  salvation, 
and  realizing  it  as  ours.  The  Spirit  of  God  reveals, 
with  unmistakable  clearness,  in  the  Word,  that  the 
Church  is  united  to  Christ  in  death  and  resurrection  ; 
and,  moreover,  that  a  risen  Christ,  at  God's  right 
hand,  is  the  measure  and  pledge  of  the  ChurcB's 
acceptance.  When  this  is  believed,  it  conducts  the 


CHAPTER    XV.  193 

soul  entirely  beyond  the  region  of  doubt  and  uncer- 
tainty. How  can  the  Christian  doubt  when  he  knows 
that  he  is  continually  represented  before  the  throne 
of  God  by  an  Advocate,  even  u  Jesus  Christ  the 
righteous  "  ?  It  is  the  privilege  of  the  very  feeblest 
member  of  the  Church  of  God  to  know  that  lie  was 
represented  by  Christ  on  the  cross, — that  all  his  sins 
were  confessed,  borne,  judged,  and  atoned  for  there. 
This  is  a  divine  reality,  and,  when  laid  hold  of  by 
faith,  must  give  peace  ;  but  nothing  short  of  it  ever 
can  give  peace.  There  may  be  earnest,  anxious, 
and  most  sincere  desires  after  God, — there  may  be 
the  most  pious  and  devout  attendance  upon  all  the 
ordinances,  offices,  and  forms  of  religion  ;  but  there 
is  no  other  possible  way  in  which  to  get  the  sense  of 
sin  entirely  removed  from  the  conscience,  but  seeing 
it  judged  in  the  Person  of  Christ,  as  a  sin-offering, 
on  the  cursed  tree.  If  it  was  judged  there  once  for 
all,  it  is  now  by  the  believer  to  be  regarded  as  a 
divinely,  and  therefore  eternally,  settled  question ; 
and  that  it  was  so  judged  is  proved  by  the  resurrec- 
tion of  the  Surety.  "I  know  that  whatsoever  God 
doeth  it  shall  be  forever :  nothing  can  be  put  to  it 
nor  anything  taken  from  it:  and  God  doeth  it  that 
men  should  fear  before  Him."  (Ecc.  iii.  14.) 

However,  wliile  it  is  generally  admitted  that  all 
this  is  true  in  reference  to  the  Church  collectively, 
many  find  considerable  difficulty  in  making  a  per- 
sonal application  thereof.  They  are  ready  to  say, 
with  the  Psalmist,  "Truly,  God  is  good  to  Israel, 
even  to  such  as  are  of  a  clean  heart.  But  as  for 


194  EXODUS. 

we,"  etc.  (Ps.  Ixxiii.  1,  2.)  They  arc  looking  at 
themselves  instead  of  at  Christ  in  death  and  Christ 
in  resurrection ;  they  are  occupied  rather  with  their 
appropriation  of  Christ  than  with  Christ  Himself; 
they  are  thinking  of  their  capacity  rather  than  their 
title.  Thus  they  are  kept  in  a  state  of  the  most 
distressing  uncertainty,  and,  as  a  consequence,  they 
are  never  able  to  take  the  place  of  happy,  intelligent 
worshipers.  They  are  praying  for  salvation  instead 
of  rejoicing  in  the  conscious  possession  of  it;  they 
are  looking  at  their  imperfect  fruits  instead  of 
Christ's  perfect  atonement. 

Now  in  looking  through  the  various  notes  of  this 
song  in  Exodus  xv,  we  do  not  find  a  single  note 
about  se//,  its  doings,  its  sayings,  its  feelings,  or  its 
fruits ;  it  is  all  about  Jehovah,  from  beginning  to 
end.  It  begins  with,  "I  will  sing  unto  the  Lord,  for 
He  hath  triumphed  gloriously:  the  horse  and  his 
rider  hath  He  thrown  into  the  Sea."  This  is  a  spec- 
imen of  the  entire  song.  It  is  a  simple  record  of 
the  attributes  and  actings  of  Jehovah.  In  chapter 
xiv,  the  hearts  of  the  people  had,  as  it  were,  been 
pent  up  by  the  excessive  pressure  of  their  circum- 
stances ;  but  in  chapter  xv,  the  pressure  is  removed, 
and  their  hearts  find  full  vent  in  a  sweet  song  of 
praise.  Self  is  forgotten ;  circumstances  are  lost 
sight  of;  one  object,  and  but  one,  fills  their  vision, 
and  that  object  is  the  Lord  Himself,  in  His  character 
and  ways.  They  were  able  to  say,  "Thou,  Lord, 
hast  made  me  glad  through  Thy  work  ;  I  will  triumph 
in  the  works  of  Thy  hands."  (Ps.  xcii.  4.)  This  is 


CHAPTER    XV.  195 

true  worship.  It  is  when  poor,  worthless  self,  with 
all  its  belongings,  is  lost  sight  of,  and  Christ  alone 
fills  the  heart,  that  we  present  proper  worship. 
There  is  no  need  for  the  efforts  of  a  fleshly  pietism 
to  awaken  in  the  sonl  feelings  of  devotion ;  nor  is 
there  any  demand  whatever  for  the  adventitious  ap- 
pliances of  religion,  so  called,  to  kindle  in  the  soul 
the  flame  of  acceptable  worship.  Oh,  no  !  Let  but 
the  heart  be  occupied  with  the  Person  of  Christ,  and 
"songs  of  praise"  will  be  the  natural  result.  It  is 
impossible  for  the  eye  to  rest  on  Him  and  the  spirit 
not  be  bowed  in  holy  worship.  If  we  contemplate 
the  worship  of  the  hosts  which  surround  the  throne 
of  God  and  the  Lamb,  we  shall  find  that  it  is  ever 
evoked  by  the  presentation  of  some  special  feature 
of  divine  excellence  or  divine  acting.  Thus  should 
it  be  with  the  Church  on  earth ;  and  when  it  is  not 
so,  it  is  because  we  allow  things  to  intrude  upon  us 
which  have  no  place  in  the  regions  of  unclouded 
light  and  unalktyed  blessedness.  In  all  true  worship, 
God  Himself  is  at  once  the  object  of  worship,  the 
subject  of  worship,  and  the  power  of  worship. 

Hence  Exodus  xv.  is  a  fine  specimen  of  a  song  of 
praise.  It  is  the  language  of  a  redeemed  people 
celebrating  the  worthy  praise  of  Him  who  had 
redeemed  them.  "The  Lord  is  my  strength  and 
song,  and  He  is  become  my  salvation :  He  is  my 
God,  and  I  will  prepare  Him  a  habitation ;  my 
father's  God,  and  I  will  exalt  Him.  The  Lord  is  a 

man  of  war:  the  Lord  is  His  name Thy 

right  hand,  O  Lord,  is  become  glorious  in  power: 


196  EXODUS. 

Thy  right  hand,  O  Lord,  hath  dashed  in  pieces  the 
enemy.  ....  Who  is  like  unto  Thee,  O  Lord, 
among  the  gods  ?  who  is  like  Thee,  glorious  in  holi- 
ness, fearful  in  praises,  doing  wonders  ?  .  .  .  Thou 
in  Thy  mercy  hast  led  forth  the  people  which  Thou 
hast  redeemed:  Thou  hast  guided  them  in  Thy 
strength  unto  Thy  holy  habitation.  ....  The 
Lord  shall  reign  forever  and  ever."  How  compre- 
hensive is  the  range  of  this  sons;  !  It  begins  with 

O  O  O 

redemption  and  ends  with  the  glory.  It  begins  with 
the  cross  and  ends  with  the  kingdom.  It  is  like  a 
beauteous  rainbow,  of  which  one  end  dips  in  l  c  the 
sufferings,"  and  the  other  in  "the  glory  that  should 
follow."  It  is  all  about  Jehovah.  It  is  an  outpour- 
ing of  soul  produced  by  a  view  of  God  and  His 
gracious  and  glorious  actings. 

Moreover,  it  does  not  stop  short  of  the  actual 
accomplishment  of  the  divine  purpose,  as  we  read, 
"Thou  hast  guided  them  in  Thy  strength  unto  Thy 
holy  habitation."  The  people  were  able  to  say  this, 
though  they  had  but  just  planted  their  foot  on  the 
margin  of  the  desert.  It  was  not  the  expression  of 
a  vague  hope, — it  was  not  feeding  upon  poor,  blind 
chance.  Oh,  no !  When  the  soul  is  wholly  occupied 
with  God,  it  is  enabled  to  launch  out  into  all  the  full- 
ness of  His  grace,  to  bask  in  the  sunshine  of  His 
countenance,  and  delight  itself  in  the  rich  abundance 
of  His  mercy  and  loving-kindness.  There  is  not  a 
cloud  upon  the  prospect  when  the  believing  soul, 
taking  its  stand  upon  the  eternal  rock  on  which 
redeeming  love  has  set  it  in  association  with  a  risen 


CHAPTER    XV.  197 

Christ,  looks  up  into  the  spacious  vault  of  God's 
infinite  plans  and  purposes,  and  dwells  upon  the 
effulgence  of  that  glory  which  God  has  prepared  for 
all  those  who  have  washed  their  robes  and  made 
them  white  in  the  blood  of  the  Lamb. 

This  will  account  for  the  peculiarly  brilliant,  ele- 
vated, and  unqualified  character  of  all  those  bursts 
of  praise  which  we  find  throughout  sacred  Scripture. 
The  creature  is  set  aside :  God  is  the  object.  He 
fills  the  entire  sphere  of  the  soul's  vision.  There  is 
nothing  of  man,  his  feelings,  or  his  experiences,  and 
therefore  the  stream  of  praise  flows  copiously  and 
uninterruptedly  forth.  How  different  is  this  from 
some  of  the  hymns  we  so  often  hear  sung  in  Chris- 
tian assemblies,  so  fall  of  our  failings,  our  feebleness, 
our  shortcomings.  The  fact  is,  we  can  never  sing 
with  real,  spiritual  intelligence  and  power  when  we 
are  looking  at  ourselves.  We  shall  ever  be  discover- 
ing something  within  which  will  act  as  a  drawback 
to  our  worship.  Indeed,  with  many,  it  seems  to  be 
accounted  a  Christian  grace  to  be  in  n  continual  state 
of  doubt  and  hesitation ;  and,  as  a  consequence, 
their  hymns  are  quite  in  character  with  their  condi- 
tion. Such  persons,  however  sincere  and  pious,  have 
never  }^et,  in  the  actual  experience  of  their  souls, 
entered  upon  the  proper  ground  of  worship.  They 
have  not  3~et  got  done  with  themselves, — they  have 
not  passed  through  the  sea,  and,  as  a  spiritually 
baptized  people,  taken  their  stand  on  the  shore,  in 
the  power  of  resurrection.  They  are  still,  in  some 
way  or  another,  occupied  with  celf :  they  do  not  re- 
14 


198  EXODUS. 

gard  self  as  a  crucified  thing,  with  which  God  is 
forever  clone. 

May  the  Holy  Ghost  lead  all  God's  people  into 
fuller,  clearer,  and  worthier  apprehensions  of  their 
place  and  privilege  as  those  who,  being  washed  from 
their  sins  in  the  blood  of  Christ,  are  presented  before 
God  in  all  that  infinite  and  unclouded  acceptance 
in  which  He  stands,  as  the  risen  and  glorified  Head 
of  His  Church.  Doubts  and  fears  do  not  become 
them,  for  their  divine  Surety  has  not  left  a  shadow 
of  a  foundation  on  which  to  build  a  doubt  or  a  fear. 
Their  place  is  within  the  vail.  They  "have  boldness 
to  enter  into  the  holiest  by  the  blood  of  Jesus." 
(Heb.  x.  19.)  Are  there  any  doubts  or  fears  in  the 
holiest?  Is  it  not  evident  that  a  doubting  spirit 
virtually  calls  in  question  the  perfectness  of  Christ's 
work — a  work  which  has  been  attested,  in  the  view 
of  all  created  intelligence,  by  the  resurrection  of 
Christ  from  the  dead  ?  That  blessed  One  could  not 
have  left  the  tomb  unless  all  ground  of  doubting 
and  fearing  had  been  perfectly  removed  on  behalf 
of  His  people.  Wherefore  it  is  the  Christian's  sweet 
privilege  ever  to  triumph  in  a  full  salvation.  The 
Lord  Himself  has  become  his  salvation ;  and  he 
has  only  to  enjoy  the  fruits  of  that  which  God  has 
wrought  for  him,  and  to  walk  to  His  praise  while 
waiting  for  that. time  when  "Jehovah  shall  reign 
forever  and  ever." 

But  there  is  one  note  in  this  song  to  which  I  shall 
just  invite  my  reader's  attention. — "He  is  my  God, 
and  I  will  prepare  Him  a  habitation."  It  is  worthy 


CHAPTER   XV.  199 

of  note  that  when  the  heart  was  full  to  overflowing 
with  the  joy  of  redemption,  it  gives  expression  to 
its  devoted  purpose  in  reference  to  u  a  habitation  for 
God."  Let  the  Christian  reader  ponder  this.  God 
dwelling  with  man  is  a  grand  thought  pervading 
Scripture  from  Exodus  xv.  to  Revelation.  Hearken 
to  the  following  utterance  of  a  devoted  heart : 
4 'Surely  I  will  not  come  into  the  tabernacle  of  my 
house,  nor  go  up  into  my  bed  ;  I  will  not  give  sleep 
to  mine  eyes,  nor  slumber  to  mine  eyelids,  until  I 
find  out  a  place  for  the  Lord,  a  habitation  for  the 
mighty  God  of  Jacob."  (Ps.  cxxxii.  3-5.)  Again, 
"For  the  zeal  of  Thine  house  hath  eaten  me  up." 
(Ps.  Ixix.  9  ;  John  ii.  17. )  I  do  not  attempt  to  pursue 
this  subject  here  ;  but  I  would  fain  awaken  such  an 
interest  concerning  it  in  the  breast  of  my  reader  as 
shall  lead  him  to  pursue  it,  prayerfully,  for  himself, 
from  the  very  earliest  notice  of  it  in  the  Word  until 

he  arrives  at  that  soul-stirrino;  announcement,  "Be- 

~  i 

hold,  the  tabernacle  of  God  is  with  men,  and  He  will 
dwell  with  them,  and  they  shall  be  His  people,  and 
God  Himself  shall  be  with  them,  and  be  their  God. 
And  God  shall  wipe  away  all  tears  from  their  eyes." 
(Rev.  xxi.  3,  4.) 

"  So  Moses  brought  Israel  from  the  Red  Sea ;  and 
they  went  out  into  the  wilderness  of  Shur :  and  they 
went  three  days  into  the  wilderness  and  found  no 
water."  (Yer.  22.)  It  is  when  we  get  into  wilder- 
ness experience  that  we  are  put  to  the  test  as  to  the 
real  measure  of  our  acquaintance  with  God  and  with 
our  own  hearts.  There  is  a  freshness  and  an  exu- 


200  EXODUS. 

berarice  of  joy  connected  with  the  opening  of  our 
Christian  career,  which  very  soon  receives  a  check 
from  the  keen  blast  of  the  desert ;  and  then,  unless 
there  is  n  deep  sense  of  what  God  is  to  us,  above 
and  beyond  everything  else,  we  are  apt  to  break 
clown,  and,  "in  our  hearts,  turn  back  again  into 
Eg}rpt."  The  discipline  of  the  wilderness  is  need- 
ful, not  to  furnish  us  with  a  title  to  Canaan,  but  to 
make  us  acquainted  with  God  and  with  our  own 
hearts ;  to  enable  us  to  enter  into  the  power  of  our 
relationship,  and  to  enlarge  our  capacity  for  the 
enjoyment  of  Canaan  when  we  actually  get  there. 
(See  Dent,  viii.  2-5.) 

The  greenness,  freshness,  and  luxuriance  of  spring- 
have  peculiar  charms,  which  all  pass  away  before  the 
scorching  heat  of  summer;  but  then,  with  proper 
care,  that  very  heat  which  removes  the  fair  traces  of 
spring,  produces  the  mellowed  and  matured  fruits 
of  autumn.  Thus  it  is  also  in  the  Christian  life ; 
for  there  is,  as  we  know,  a  striking  and  deeply 
instructive  analogy  between  the  principles  which 
obtain  in  the  kingdom  of  nature  and  those  which 
characterize  the  kingdom  of  grace,  seeing  it  is  the 
same  God  whose  handiwork  meets  our  view  in  both. 

There  are  three  distinct  positions  in  which  we  may 
contemplate  Israel,  namely,  in  Egypt,  in  the  wilder- 
ness, and  in  the  land  of  Canaan.  In  all  these,  they 
are  "our  types  ;"  but  we  are  in  all  three  together. 
This  may  seem  paradoxical,  but  it  is  true.  As  a 
matter  of  actual  fact,  we  are  in  Egypt,  surrounded 
by  natural  things,  which  are  entirely  adapted  to 


CHAPTER    XV.  201 

the  natural  heart.  But,  inasmuch  as  we  have  been 
called  by  God's  grace  into  fellowship  with  His  Son 
Jesus  Christ,  we,  according  to  the  affections  and 
desires  of  the  new  nature,  necessarily  find  our  place 
outside  of  all  that  which  belongs  to  Egypt*  {i.e.. 


"There  is  a  wide  moral  difference  between  Egypt  and  Babylon, 
which  it  is  important  to  understand.  Egypt  was  that  out  of  which 
Israel  came;  Babylon  was  that  into  which  they  were  afterwards 
carried.  (Comp.  Amos  v.  25-27  with  Acts  yii.  42,  43.)  Egypt  ex- 
presses what  man  has  made  of  the  world;  Babylon  expresses  what 
Satan  has  made,  is  making,  or  will  make,  of  the  professing  church. 
Hence,  we  are  not  only  surrounded  with  the  circumstances  of 
Egypt,  but  also  by  the  moral  principles  of  Babylon. 

This  renders  our  "days"  what  the  Holy  Ghost  has  termed 
" perilous "  (}[a.A.£7toi — "difficult")-.  It  demands  a  special  energy 
of  the  Spirit  of  God,  and  complete  subjection  to  the  authority  of 
the  Word,  to  enable  one  to  meet  the  combined  influence  of  the 
realities  of  Egypt  and  the  spirit  and  principles  of  Babylon.  The 
former  meet  the  natural  desires  of  the  heart;  while  the  latter  con- 
nect themselves  with,  and  address  themselves  to,  the  religiousness 
of  nature,  which  gives  them  a  peculiar  hold  upon  the  heart.  Man 
is  a  religious  being,  and  peculiarly  susceptible  of  the  influences 
which  arise  from  music,  sculpture,  painting,  and  pompous  rites  and 
ceremonies.  When  these  things  stand  connected  with  the  full 
supply  of  all  his  natural  wants— yea,  with  all  the  ease  and  luxury 
of  life,  nothing  but  the  mighty  power  of  God's  Word  and  Spirit  can 
keep  one  true  to  Christ. 

We  should  also  remark  that  there  is  a  vast  difference  between 
the  destinies  of  Egypt  and  those  of  Babylon.  The  nineteenth  of 
Isaiah  sets  before  us  the  blessings  that  are  in  store  for  Egypt.  It 
concludes  thus  :  "And  the  Lord  shall  smite  Egypt;  He  shall  smite 
and  heal  it;  and  they  shall  return  even  to  the  Lord,  and  He  shall 

be  entreated  of  them,  ancj  shall  heal  them In  that  day 

shall  Israel  be  the  third  with  Egypt  and  with  Assyria,  even  a  bless- 
ing in  the  midst  of  the  land ;  whom  the  Lord  of  Hosts  shall  bless, 
saying,  Blessed  be  Egypt  My  people,  and  Assyria  the  work  of  My 
hands,  and  Israel  Mine  inheritance."  (Ver.  22-25.) 

Very  different  is  the  close  of  Babylon's  history,  whether  viewed 
as  a  literal  city  or  a  spiritual  system.— "I  will  also  make  it  a  pos- 
session for  the  bittern,  and  pools  of  water;  and  I  will  sweep  it  with 
the  besom  of  destruction,  saith  the  Lord  of  Hosts."  (Isaiah  xiv.  23.) 
"It  shall  never  be  inhabited,  neither  shall  it  be  dwelt  in  from  gen- 


202  EXODUS. 

the  world  in  its  natural  state),  and  this  causes  us  to* 
taste  of  wilderness  experience,  or,  in  other  words, 
it  places  us,  as  a  matter  of  experience,  in  the  wil- 
derness.    The  divine  nature  earnestly  breathes  after  • 
a  different  order  of  things — after  a  purer  atmosphere 
than  that  with  which  we  find  ourselves  surrounded, 
and  thus  it  causes  us  to  feel  Egypt  to  be  a  moral 
desert. 

But  then,  inasmuch  as  we  are,  in  God's  view, 
eternally  associated  with  Him  who  has  passed  right 
through  into  the  heavenlies,  and  taken  His  seat  there 
in  triumph  and  majesty,  it  is  our  happy  privilege 
to  know  ourselves,  by  faith,  as  "sitting  together  in 
Him"  there.  (Eph.  ii.)  So  that  although  we  are, 
as  to  our  bodies,  in  Egypt,  we  are,  as  to  our  expe- 


eration  to  generation."  (Isaiah  xiii.  20.)  So  much  for  Babylon 
literally;  and  looking  at  it  from  a  mystic  or  spiritual  point  of  view, 
we  read  its  destiny  in  Rev.  xviii.  The  entire  chapter  is  a  descrip- 
tion of  Babylon,  and  it  concludes  thus  :  "A  strong  angel  took  up  a 
stone,  like  a  great  millstone,  and  cast  it  into  the  sea,  saying, '  Thus, 
with  violence  shall  that  great  city  Babylon  be  thrown  down,  and 
shall  be  found  no  more  at  all.' "  (Ver.  21.) 

With  what  immense  solemnity  should  those  words  fall  upon  the 
ears  of  all  who  are  in  any  wise  connected  with  Babylon— that  is  to 
say,  with  the  false,  professing  church, — "Come  out  of  her,  My 
people,  that  ye  be  not  partakers  of  her  sins,  and  that  yc  receive 
not  of  her  plagues"!  (Rev.  xviii.  5.)  The  "power"  of  the  Holy 
Ghost  will  necessarily  produce,  or  express  itself  in,  a  certain 
"form,"  and  the  enemy's  aim  has  ever  been  to  rob  the  professing 
church  of  the  power,  while  he  leads  her  to  cling  to  and  perpetuate 
the  form — to  stereotype  the  form  when  all  the  spirit  and  life  has 
passed  away.  Thus  he  builds  the  spiritual  Babylon.  The  stones 
of  which  this  city  is  built  are  lifeless  professors ;  and  the  slime  or 
mortar  which  binds  these  stones  together  is  "a  form  of  godliness 
without  the  power." 

Oh !  my  beloved  reader,  let  us  see  to  it  that  we  fully,  clearly,  and 
iniluentially  understand  these  things. 


CHAPTER    XV.  203 

rience,  in  the  wilderness,  while,  at  the  same  time, 
faith  conducts  us,  in  spirit,  into  Canaan,  and  enables 
us  to  feed  upon  "the  old  corn  of  the  land,"  i.e., 
upon  Christ,  not  as  One  come  down  to  earth 
merely,  but  as  One  gone  back  to  heaven  and  seated 
there  in  gloiy. 

The  concluding  verses  of  this  fifteenth  chapter 
show  us  Israel  in  the  wilderness.  Up  to  this  point, 
it  seemed  to  them  to  be  all  fair  sailing.  Heavy 
j  udgments  poured  upon  Egypt,  but  Israel  perfectly 
exempt, — the  army  of  Egypt  dead  upon  the  sea 
shore,  but  Israel  in  triumph.  All  this  was  well 
enough ;  but,  alas !  the  aspect  of  things  speedily 
changed.  The  notes  of  praise  were  soon  exchanged 
for  the  accents  of  discontent.  "When  they  came 
to  Marah,  they  could  not  drink  of  the  waters  of 
Marah,  for  they  were  bitter ;  therefore  the  name  of 
it  was  called  Marah.  And  the  people  murmured 
against  Moses,  saying,  'What  shall  we  drink?'." 
Again,  "The  whole  congregation  of  the  children  of 
Israel  murmured  against  Moses  and  Aaron  in  the 
wilderness ;  and  the  children  cf  Israel  said  unto 
them,  'Would  to  God  we  had  died  by  the  hand  of 
the  Lord  in  the  land  cf  Egypt,  when  we  sat  by  the 
flesh-pots,  and  when  we  did  eat  bread  to  the  full  ! 
for  ye  have  brought  us  forth  into  this  wilderness  to 
kill  this  whole  assembly  with  hunger.'  ' 

Here  were  the  trials  of  the  wilderness. — "What 
shall  we  eat?"  and  "What  shall  we  drink?"  The 
waters  of  Marah  tested  the  heart  of  Israel  and 
developed  their  murmuring  spirit ;  but  the  Lord 


204  EXODUS. 

showed  them  that  there  was  no  bitterness  which  He 
could  not  sweeten  with  the  provision  of  His  own 
grace.  "And  the  Lord  showed  him  a  tree,  which 
when  he  had  cast  into  the  waters,  the  waters  were 
made  sweet ;  there  lie  made  for  them  a  statute  and 
an  ordinance,  and  there  lie  proved  them."  Beau- 
teous figure  this  of  Him  who  was,  in  infinite  grace, 
cast  into  the  bitter  waters  of  death,  in  order  that 
those  waters  might  yield  naught  but  sweetness  to  us 
forever!  We  can  truly  say,  u The  bitterness  of 
death  is  past,"  and  nothing  remains  for  us  but  the 
eternal  sweets  of  resurrection. 

Verse  2G  sets  before  us  the  momentous  character 
of  this  first  stage  of  God's  redeemed  in  the  wilder- 
ness. We  are  in  great  danger,  at  this  point,  of 
falling  into  a  fretful,  impatient,  murmuring  spirit. 
The  only  remedy  for  this  is  to  keep  the  eye  steadily 
fixed  on  Jesus — c '  looking  unto  Jesus. ' '  He,  blessed 
be.  His  name,  ever  unfolds  Himself  according  to  the 
need  of  His  people  ;  and  they,  instead  of  complain- 
ing of  their  circumstances,  should  only  make  their 
circumstances  an  occasion  of  drawing  afresh  upon 
Him.  Thus  it  is  that  the  wilderness  ministers  to  our 
experience  of  what  God  is.  It  is  a  school,  in  which 
we  learn  His  patient  grace  and  ample  resources. 
"Forty  years  suffered  He  their  manners  in  the  wil- 
derness." (Acts  xiii.  18.)  The  spiritual  mind  will 
ever  own  that  it  is  worth  having  bitter  waters  for 
God  to  sweeten.  "We  glory  in  tribulations  also: 
knowing  that  tribulation  worketh  patience  ;  and  pa- 
tience, experience  ;  and  experience,  hope  ;  and  hope 


CHAPTER    XV.  205 

make th  not  ashamed ;  because  the  love  of  God  is 
shed  abroad  in  our  hearts  by  the  Holy  Ghost  which 
is  given  unto  us."  (Rom.  v.  3-5.) 

However,  the  wilderness  has  its  Elims  as  well  as 
its  Marahs, — its  wells  and  palm  trees,  as  well  as  its 
bitter  waters.  "And  they  came  to  Elim,  where  were 
twelve  wrells  of  water,  and  threescore  and  ten  palm 
trees;  and  they  encamped  there  by  the  waters." 
(Ver.  27.)  The  Lord  graciously  and  tenderly  pro- 
vides green  spots  in  the  desert  for  His  journeying 
people  ;  and  though  they  are,  at  best,  but  oases,  yet 
are  they  refreshing  to  the  spirit  and  encouraging  to 
the  heart.  The  sojourn  at  Elim  was  eminently  cal- 
culated to  soothe  the  hearts  of  the  people,  and  hush 
their  murmurings.  The  grateful  shade  of  its  palm 
trees,  and  the  refreshing  of  its  wells,  came  in  sweetly 
and  seasonably  after  the  trial  of  Marah,  and  signifi- 
cantly set  forth,  in  our  view,  the  precious  virtues 
of  that  spiritual  ministry  which  God  provides  for 
His  people  down  here.  "The  twelve"  and  "the 
seventy"  are  numbers  intimately  associated  with 
ministry. 

But  Elim  was  not  Canaan.  Its  wells  and  palm 
trees  were  but  foretastes  of  that  happy  land  which 
lay  beyond  the  bounds  of  the  sterile  desert  on  which 
the  redeemed  had  j  ust  entered.  It  furnished  refresh- 
ment, no  doubt,  but  it  was  wilderness  refreshment. 
It  was  but  for  a  passing  moment,  designed,  in  grace, 
to  encourage  their  depressed  spirits,  and  nerve  them 
for  their  onward  march  to  Canaan.  Thus  it  is,  as 
we  know,  with  ministry  in  the  Church.  It  is  a  gra- 


206  EXODUS. 

cious  provision  for  our  need,  designed  to  refresh, 
strengthen,  and  encourage  our  hearts,  u  until  we  all 
come  to  the  fullness  of  the  measure  of  the  stature  of 
Christ."  (Eph.  iv.) 


CHAPTER  XVI. 

^  4  ND  they  took  their  journey  from  Elim,  and  all 
"-  the  congregation  of  the  children  of  Israel  came 
unto  the  wilderness  of  Sin,  which  is  between  Elim  and 
Sinai,  on  the  fifteenth  day  of  the  second  month  after 
their  departure  out  of  the  land  of  Egypt."  (Chap, 
xvi.  1.)  Here  we  find  Israel  in  a  very  marked  and 
interesting  position.  It  is  still  the  wilderness,  no 
doubt,  but  it  is  a  most  important  and  significant 
stage  thereof,  namely,  "between  Elim  and  Sinai." 
The  former  was  the  place  where  they  had  so  recently 
experienced  the  refreshing  springs  of  divine  ministry  ; 
the  latter  was  the  place  where  they  entirely  got  off 
'the  ground  of  free  and  sovereign  grace,  and  placed 
themselves  under  a  covenant  of  works.  These  facts 
render  "the  wilderness  of  Sin  a  singularly  interest- 
ing portion  of  Israel's  journey.  Its  features  and 
influences  are  as  strongly  marked  as  those  of  any 
point  in  their  whole  career.  They  are  here  seen  as 
the  subjects  of  the  same  grace  which  had  brought 
them  up  out  of  the  land  of  Egypt,  and  therefore  all 
their  murmurings  are  instantly  met  by  divine  sup- 
plies. When  God  acts  in  the  display  of  Plis  grace, 
there  is  no  hindrance.  The  streams  of  blessing 


CHAPTER    XVI.  207 

which  emanate  from  Him,  flow  onward  without  in- 
terruption. It  is  only  when  man  puts  himself  under 
law  that  he  forfeits  everything ;  for  then  God  must 
allow  him  to  prove  how  much  he  can  claim  on  the 
ground  of  his  own  works. 

When  God  visited  and  redeemed  His  people,  and 
brought  them  forth  out  of  the  land  of  Egypt,  it 
assuredly  was  not  for  the  purpose  of  suffering  them 
to  die  of  hunger  and  thirst  in  the  wilderness.  They 
should  have  known  this.  They  ought  to  have  trusted 
Him,  and  walked  in  the  confidence  of  that  love  which 
had  so  gloriously  delivered  them  from  the  horrors  of 
Egyptian  bondage.  They  should  have  remembered 
that  it  was  infinitely  better  to  be  in  the  desert  with 
God  than  in  the  brick-kilns  with  Pharaoh.  But  no ; 
the  human  heart  finds  it  immensely  difficult  to  give 
God  credit  for  pure  and  perfect  love.  It  has  far 
more  confidence  in  Satan  than  God.  Look,  for  a 
moment,  at  all  the  sorrow  and  suffering,  the  misery 
and  degradation,  which  man  has  endured  by  reason 
of  his  having  hearkened  to  the  voice  of  Satan  ;  and 
yet  he  never  gives  utterance  to  a  word  of  complaint 
of  his  service,  or  of  desire  to  escape  from  under  his 
hand.  He  is  not  discontented  with  Satan,  or  weary 
of  serving  him.  Again  and  again  he  reaps  bitter 
fruits  in  those  fields  which  Satan  has  thrown  open  to 
him,  and  yet  again  and  again  he  may  be  seen  sowing 
the  self-same  seed,  and  undergoing  the  self-same 
labors. 

How  different  it  is  in  reference  to  God  !  When 
we  have  set  out  to  walk  in  His  ways,  we  are  ready, 


208  EXODUS. 

at  the  earliest  appearance  of  pressure  or  trial,  to 
murmur  and.  rebel.  Indeed,  there  is  nothing  in 
which  we  so  signally  fail  as  in  the  cultivation  of  a 
confiding  and  thankful  spirit.  Ten  thousand  mercies 
are  forgotten  in  the  presence  of  a  single  trifling  pri- 
vation. We  have  been  frankly  forgiven  all  our  sins, 
"  accepted  in  the  Beloved/'  made  heirs  of  God  and 
joint-heirs  with  Christ,  the  expectants  of  eternal 
glory,  and,  in  addition  to  all,  our  path  through  the 
desert  is  strewed  with  coivhtless  mercies ;  and  yet  ' 
let  but  a  cloud  the  size  of  a  man's  hand  appear  on 
the  horizon,  and  we  at  once  forget  the  rich  mercies 
of  the  past  in  view  of  this  single  cloud,  which,  after 
all,  may  only  "break  in  blessings  on  our  head." 
The  thought  of  this  should  humble  us  deeply  in  the 
presence  of  God.  How  unlike  we  are  in  this,  as 
in  every  other  respect,  to  our  blessed  Exemplar! 
Look  at  Him — the  true  Israel  in  the  wilderness — 
surrounded  by  wild  beasts,  and  fasting  forty  days. 
How  did  He  carry  Himself?  Did  He  murmur  ?  did 
He  complain  of  His  lot  ?  did  He  wish  Himself  in 
other  circumstances  ?  Ah,  no.  God  was  the  por- 
tion of  His  cup  and  the  lot  of  His  inheritance  (Ps. 
xvi.)  ;  and,  therefore,  when  the  tempter  approached 
and  offered  Him  the  necessaries,  the  glories,  the 
distinctions,  and  the  honors  of  this  life,  He  refused 
them  all,  and  tenaciously  held  fast  the  position  of 
absolute  dependence  upon  God  and  implicit  obedi- 
ence to  His  word.  He  would  only  take  bread  from 
God,  and  glory  from  Him  likewise. 

Very  different  was  it  with  Israel  after  the  flesh  ! 


CHAPTER    XVI.  209 

No  sooner  did  they  feel  the  pressure  of  hunger  than 
"they  murmured  against  Moses  and  Aaron  in  the 
wilderness."  .They  seemed  to  have  actually  lost  the 
sense  of  having  been  delivered  by  the  hand  of  Jeho- 
vah, for  they  said,  "  Ye  have  brought  us  forth  into 
this  wilderness."  And  again,  in  chapter  xvii,  "the 
people  murmured  against  Moses,  and  said,  'Where- 
fore is  this  that  thou  hast  brought  us  up  out  of 
Egypt  to  kill  us  and  our  children  and  our  cattle  with 
thirst?'  ' '  Thus  did  they,  on  every  occasion,  evince 
a  fretful,  murmuring  spirit,  and  prove  how  little  they 
realized  the  presence  and  the  hand  of  their  almighty 
and  infinitely  gracious  Deliverer. 

Now,  nothing  is  more  dishonoring  to  God  than  the 
manifestation  of  a  complaining  spirit  on  the  part  of 
those  that  belong  to  Him.  The  apostle  gives  it  as  a 
special  mark  of  Gentile  corruption  that,  "when  they 
knew  God,  they  glorified  Him  not  as  God,  neither 
were  thankful."  Then  follows  the  practical  result  of 
this  unthankful  spirit, — "They  became  vain  in  their 
imaginations,  and  their  foolish  heart  was  darkened." 
(Rom.  i.  21.)  The  heart  that  ceases  to  retain  a 
thankful  sense  of  God's  goodness  will  speedily  be- 
come "dark."  Thus  Israel  lost  the  sense  of  being 
in  God's  hands  ;  and  this  led,  as  might  be  expected, 
to  still  thicker  darkness,  for  we  find  them,  further  on 
in  their  history,  saying,  ' '  Wherefore  hath  the  Lord 
brought  us  into  this  land,  to  fall  ~by  the  sword,  that 
our  wives  and  our  children  shall  be  a  prey?"  (Numb, 
xiv.  3.)  Such  is  the  line  alon^  which  a  soul  out  of 

/  o 

communion  will  travel.     It  first  loses  the  sense  of 


210  EXODUS. 

being  in  God's  hands  for  good,  and  finally  begins 
to  deem  itself  in  His  hands  for  evil.  Melancholy 
progress  this ! 

However,  the  people,  being  so  far  the  subjects  of 
grace,  are  provided  for ;  and  our  chapter  furnishes 
the  marvelous  account  of  this  provision, — "  Then 
said  the  Lord  unto  Moses,  'Behold,  I  will  rain  bread 
from  heaven  for  you.'  '  They,  when  enveloped  in 
the  chilling  cloud  of  their  unbelief,  had  said,  "Would 
to  God  we  had  died  by  the  hand  of  the  Lord  in  the 
land  of  Eg3rpt,  when  we  sat  by  the  flesh-pots,  and 
when  we  did  eat  bread  to  the  full."  But  now  the 
word  is,  "Bread  from  heaven."  Blessed  contrast  ! 
How  amazing  the  difference  between  the  flesh  pots, 
the  leeks,  onions,  and  garlic  of  Egypt,  and  this  heav- 
enly manna — c ' angels'  food ' ' !  The  former  belonged 
to  earth,  the  latter  to  heaven. 

But  then  this  heavenly  food  was,  of  necessity,  a 
test  of  Israel's  condition,  as  we  read,  "That  I  may 
prove  them,  whether  they  will  walk  in  My  law  or  no. " 
It  needed  a  heart  weaned  from  Eg}-pt's  influences, 
to  be  satisfied  with  or  enjoy  "bread  from  heaven." 
In  point  of  fact,  we  know  that  the  people  were  not 
satisfied  with  it,  but  despised  it,  pronounced  it  "light 
food, ' '  and  lusted  for  flesh.  Thus  they  proved  how  lit- 
tle their  hearts  were  delivered  from  Eg}^pt,  or  disposed 
to  \valk  in  God's  law.  "In  their  hearts  they  turned 
back  again  into  Egypt."  (Acts  vii.  39. )  But  instead 
of  getting  back  thither,  they  were  ultimately  carried 
away  beyond  Babylon.  (Acts  vii.  43. )  This  is  a  solemn 
and  salutary  lesson  for  Christians.  If  those  who  are 


CHAPTER    XVI.  211 

redeemed  from  this  present  evil  world  do  not  walk 
with  God  in  thankfulness  of  heart,  satisfied  with  His 
provision  for  the  redeemed  in  the  wilderness,  they 
are  in  danger  of  falling  into  the  snare  of  Babylonish 
influences.  This  is  a  serious  consideration.  It  de- 
mands a  heavenly  taste  to  feed  on  bread  from  heaven. 
Nature  cannot  relish  such  food ;  it  will  ever  yearn 
after  Egypt,  and  therefore  it  must  be  kept  down.  It 
is  our  privilege,  as  those  who  have  been  baptized 
unto  Christ's  death,  and  "risen  again  through  the 
faith  of  the  operation  of  God,"  to  feed  upon  Christ 
as  u  the  bread  of  life  which  came  down  from  heaven." 
This  is  our  wilderness  food — Christ  as  ministered  by 
the  Holy  Ghost,  through  the  written  Word ;  while, 
for  our  spiritual  refreshment,  the  Holy  Ghost  has 
come  down  as  the  precious  fruit  of  the  smitten 
Rock — Christ,  as  smitten  for  us.  Such  is  our  rare 
portion  in  this  desert  world. 

Now,  it  is  obvious  that,  in  order  to. enjoy  such  a 
portion  as  this,  our  hearts  must  be  weaned  from 
everything  in  this  present  evil  world — from  all  that 
would  address  itself  to  us  as  natural  men — as  men 
alive  in  the  flesh.  A  worldly  heart — a  carnal  mind, 
would  neither  find  Christ  in  the  Word,  nor  enjoy  Him 
if  found.  The  manna  was  so  pure  and  delicate  that 
it  could  not  bear  contact  with  earth.  It  fell  upon 
the  dew  (see  Numb.  xi.  9.),  and  had  to  be  gathered 
ere  the  sun  was  up.  Each  one,  therefore,  had  to 
rise  early  and  seek  his  daily  portion.  So  it  is 
with  the  people  of  God  now.  The  heavenly  Manna 
must  be  gathered  fresh  every  morning.  Yesterday's 


212  EXODUS. 

Manna  will  not  do  for  to-da}~,  nor  to-day's  for  to- 
morrow. We  must  feed  upon  Christ  every  day,  with 
fresh  energy  of  the  Spirit,  else  we  shall  cease  to 
grow.  Moreover,  we  must  make  Christ  our  primary 
object.  We  must  seek  Him  "early,"  before  "other 
things  "  have  had  time  to  take  possession  of  our  pool- 
susceptible  hearts.  Many  of  us,  alas !  fail  in  this. 
We  give  Christ  a  secondary  place,  and  the  conse- 
quence is,  we  are  left  feeble  and  barren.  The  enemy, 
ever  watchful,  takes  advantage  of  our  excessive  spir- 
iritual  indolence  to  rob  us  of  the  blessedness  and 
strength  which  flow  from  feeding  upon  Christ.  The 
new  life  in  the  believer  can  only  be  nourished  and 
sustained  by  Christ.  "As  the  living  Father  hath 
sent  Me,  and  I  live  by  the  Father  ;  so  he  that  eateth 
Me,  even  he  shall  live  by  Me."  (John  vi.  57.) 

The  grace  of  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  as  the  One 
who  came  down  from  heaven  to  be  His  people's 
food,  is  ineffably  precious  to  the  renewed  soul ;  but, 
in  order  to  enjoy  Him  thus,  we  need  to  realize  our- 
selves as  in  the  wilderness,  separated  to  God  in  the 
power  of  accomplished  redemption.  If  I  am  walk- 
ing with  God  through  the  desert,  I  shall  be  satisfied 
with  the  food  which  He  provides,  and  that  is,  Christ 
as  come  down  from  heaven.  "The  old  corn  of  the 
land  of  Canaan"  has  its  antitype  in  Christ  ascended 
up  on  high,  and  seated  in  the  glory.  As  such,  He  is 
the  proper  food  of  those  who,  by  faith,  know  them- 
selves as  raised  up  together,  and  seated  together 
in  Him  in  the  heavenlies.  But  the  Manna,  that  is, 
Christ  as  come  down  from  heaven,  is  for  the  people 


CHAPTER    XVI.  213 

of  God  in  their  wilderness  life  and  experience.  As  a 
people  journeying  down  here,  we  need  a  Christ  who 
also  journeyed  down  here ;  as  a  people  seated  in 
spirit  up  there,  we  have  a  Christ  who  is  seated 
up  there.  This  may  help  to  explain  the  difference 
between  the  manna  and  the  old  corn  of  the  land.  It 
is  not  a  question  of  redemption  ;  that  we  have  in  the 
blood  of  the  cross,  and  there  alone.  It  is  simply  the 
provision  which  God  has  made  for  His  people,  ac- 
cording to  their  varied  attitudes,  whether  as  actually 
toiling  in  the  desert,  or  in  spirit  taking  possession  of 
the  heavenly  inheritance. 

What  a  striking  picture  is  presented  by  Israel  in 
the  wilderness !  Egj-pt  was  behind  them,  Canaan 
before  them,  and  the  sand  of  the  desert  around 
them  ;  while  they  themselves  were  called  to  look  up 
to  heaven  for  their  daily  supply.  The  wilderness 
afforded  not  one  blade  of  grass  nor  one  drop  of 
water  for  the  Israel  of  God.  In  Jehovah  alone  was 
their  portion.  Most  touching  illustration  of  God's 
pilgrim  people  in  this  wilderness  world  !  They  have 
nothing  here.  Their  life,  being  heavenly,  can  only 
be  sustained  by  heavenly  things.  Though  in  the 
world,  they  are  not  of  it,  for  Christ  lias  chosen 
them  out  of  it.  As  a  heaven-born  people,  they  are 
on  their  way  to  their  birth-place,  and  sustained  by 
food  sent  from  thence.  Theirs  is  an  upward  and 
onward  course.  The  glory  leads  only  thus.  It  is 
utterly  vain  to  cast  the  eye  backward  in  the  direction 
of  Egypt ;  not  a  ray  of  the  glory  can  there  be  dis- 
cerned. "They  looked  toward  the  ivilderness,  and 

15 


214  EXODUS. 

behold  the  glory  of  the  Lord  appeared  in  the  cloud." 
4 'Jehovah's  chariot  was  in  the  wilderness,  and  all 
who  desired  companionship  with  Him  should  be  there 
likewise ;  and  if  there,  the  heavenly  manna  should 
be  their  food,  and  that  alone. 

True,  this  manna  was  strange  sustenance,  such  as 
an  Egyptian  could  never  understand,  appreciate,  or 
live  upon  ;  but  those  who  had  been  c '  baptized  in  the 
cloud  and  in  the  sea"  could,  if  walking  in  consist- 
ency with  that  significant  baptism,  enjoy  and  be 
nourished  by  it.  Thus  is  it  now  in  the  case  of  the 
true  believer.  The  worldling  cannot  understand  how 
he  lives.  Both  his  life  and  that  which  sustains  it 
lie  entirely  beyond  the  range  of  nature's  keenest 
vision.  Christ  is  his  life,  and  on  Christ  he  lives. 
He  feeds,  by  faith,  upon  the  powerful  attractions  of 
One  who,  though  being  "God  over  all,  blessed  for- 
ever," u  took  upon  Him  the  form  of  a  servant,  and 
was  made  in  the  likeness  of  men."  (Phil.  ii.  7.) 
He  traces  Him  from  the  bosom  of  the  Father  to  the 
cross,  and  from  the  cross  to  the  throne,  and  finds 
Him,  in  every  stage  of  His  journey,  and  in  every 
attitude  of  His  life,  to  be  most  precious  food  for  his 
new  man.  All  around,  though,  in  fact,  Egypt,  is 
morally  a  waste  howling  wilderness,  affording  no- 
thing for  the  renewed  mind  ;  and  just  in  proportion 
as  the  Christian  finds  any  material  to  feed  upon 
must  his  spiritual  man  be  hindered  in  his  progress. 
The  only  provision  which  God  has  made  is  the 
heavenly  Manna,  and  on  this  the  true  believer 
should  ever  feed. 


CHAPTER    XVI.  215 

It  is  truly  deplorable  to  find  Christians  seeking 
after  the  things  of  this  world.  It  proves,  very 
distinctly,  that  they  arc  "loathing"  the  heavenly 
Manna,  and  esteeming  it  "light  food;"  they  are 
ministering  to  that  which  they  ought  to  mortify. 
The  activities  of  the  new  life  will  ever  show  them- 
selves in  connection  with  the  subjugation  of  uthe 
old  man  with  his  deeds;"  and  the  more  that  is 
accomplished,  the  more  will  we  desire  to  feed  upon 
the  "Bread  which  strengthens  man's  heart."  As 
in  nature,  the  more  we  exercise,  the  better  the 
appetite,  so  in  grace;  the  more  our  renewed  faculties 
arc  called  into  play,  the  more  we  feel  the  need  of 
feeding,  each  day,  upon  Christ.  It  is  one  thing  to 
know  that  we  have  life  in  Christ,  together  with  full 
forgiveness  and  acceptance  before  God,  and  it  is 
quite  another  to  be  in  habitual  communion  with 
Him — feeding  upon  Him  by  faith — making  Him  the 
exclusive  food  of  our  souls.  Very  many  profess  to 
have  found  pardon  and  peace  in  Jesus,  who,  in 
reality,  are  feeding  upon  a  variety  of  things  which 
have  no  connection  with  Him.  They  feed  their 
minds  with  the  newspapers  and  the  varied  frivolous 
and  vapid  literature  of  the  day.  Will  they  find 
Christ  there  ?  Is  it  by  such  instrumentality  that  the 
Holy  Ghost  ministers  Christ  to  the  soul  ?  Are  these 
the  pure  dew-drops  on  which  the  heavenly  Manna 
descends  for  the  sustenance  of  God's  redeemed  in 
the  desert  ?  Alas  !  no  ;  they  are  the  gross  materials 
in  which  the  carnal  mind  delights.  How,  then,  can 
a  true  Christian  live  upon  such  ?  We  know,  by  the 


216  EXODUS. 

teaching  of  God's  Word,  that  he  carries  about  with 
him  two  natures ;  and  it  may  be  asked,  Which  of 
the  two  is  it  that  feeds  upon  the  world's  news  and 
the  world's  literature  ? — Is  it  the  old,  or  the  new  ? 
There  can  be  but  one  reply.  Well,  then,  which  of 
the. two  arn  I  desirous  of  cherishing  ?  Assuredly 
my  conduct  will  afford  the  truest  answer  to  this 
inquiry.  If  I  sincerely  desire  to  grow  in  the  divine 
life — if  my  one  grand  object  is  to  be  assimilated 
and  devoted  to  Christ — if  I  am  earnestly  breathing 
after  an  extension  of  God's  kingdom  within,  I  shall, 
without  doubt,  seek  continually  that  character  of 
nourishment  which  is  designed  of  God  to  promote 
my  spiritual  growth.  This  is  plain.  A  man's  acts 
are  always  the  truest  index  of  his  desires  and  pur- 
poses. Hence,  if  I  find  a  professing  Christian  neg- 
lecting his  Bible,  yet  finding  abundance  of  time — 
yea,  some  of  his  choicest  hours — for  the  newspaper, 
I  can  be  at  no  loss  to  decide  as  to  the  true  condition 
of  his  soul.  I  am  sure  he  cannot  be  spiritual — 
cannot  be  feeding  upon,  living  for,  or  witnessing  to, 
Christ. 

If  an  Israelite  neglected  to  gather,  in  the  fresh- 
ness of  the  morning  hour,  his  daily  portion  of  the 
divinely  appointed  food,  he  would  speedily  have 
become  lacking  in  strength  for  his  journey.  Thus  is 
it  with  us.  We  must  make  Christ  the  paramount 
object  of  our  soul's  pursuit,  else  our  spiritual  life 
will  inevitably  decline.  We  cannot  even  feed  upon 
feelings  and  experiences  connected  with  Christ,  for 
they,  inasmuch  as  they  are  fluctuating,  cannot  form 


CHAPTER    XVI.  217 

our  spiritual  nourishment.  It  was  Christ  yesterday, 
and  it  must  be  Christ  to-day,  and  Christ  forever. 
Moreover,  it  will  not  do  to  feed  partly  on  Christ  and 
partly  on  other  things.  As  in  the  matter  of  life  it 
is  Christ  alone,  so  in  the  matter  of  living  it  must  be 
Christ  alone.  As  we  cannot  mingle  any  thing  with 
that  which  imparts  life,  so  neither  can  we  mingle 
any  thing  with  that  which  sustains  it. 

It  is  quite  true  that,  in  spirit,  and  by  faith,  we 
can  even  now  feed  upon  a  risen  and  glorified  Christ, 
ascended  up  to  heaven  in  virtue  of  accomplished 
redemption,  as  prefigured  by  "the  old  corn  of  the 
land."  (See  Joshua  v.)  And  not  only  so,  but  we 
know  that  when  God's  redeemed  shall  have  entered 
upon  those  fields  of  glory,  rest,  and  immortality 
which  lie  beyond  the  Jordan,  they  shall,  in  actual 
fact,  be  done  with  wilderness  food ;  but  they  will 
not  be  done  with  Christ,  nor  with  the  remembrance 
of  that  which  constitutes  the  specific  nourishment 
of  their  desert,  life. 

Israel  were  never  to  forget,  amid  the  milk  and 
honey  of  the  land  of  Canaan,  that  which  had  sus- 
tained them  during  their  forty  years'  sojourn  in  the 
wilderness.  "This  is  the  thing  which  the  Lord 
commandeth:  'Fill  an  omer  of  it  to  be  kept  for 
your  generations ;  that  they  may  see  the  bread 
wherewith  I  have  fed  you  in  the  wilderness,  when  I 
brought  you  forth  from  the  land  of  Egypt.'  .... 
As  the  Lord  commanded  Moses,  so  Aaron  laid  it  up 
before  the  testimony,  to  be  kept."  (Ver.  32-34.) 
Most  precious  memorial  of  the  faithfulness  of  God ! 


218  EXODUS. 

He  did  not  suffer  them  to  die  of  hunger,  as  their 
foolish  hearts  had  unbelievingly  anticipated.  He 
rained  bread  from  heaven  for  them,  fed  them  with 
angels'  food,  watched  over  them  with  all  the  tender- 
ness of  a  nurse,  bore  with  them,  carried  them  on 
eagles'  wings,  and,  had  they  only  continued  on  the 
proper  ground  of  grace,  He  would  have  put  them  in 
eternal  possession  of  all  the  promises  made  to  their 
fathers.  The  pot  of  manna,  therefore,  containing, 
as  it  did,  a  man's  daily  portion,  and  laid  up  before 
the  Lord,  furnishes  a  volume  of  truth.  There  was 
no  worm  therein,  nor  aught  of  taint.  It  was  the 
record  of  Jehovah's  faithfulness  in  providing  for 
those  whom  He  had  redeemed  out  of  the  hand  of 
the  cnem3r. 

Not  so,  however,  when  man  hoarded  it  up  for 
himself.  Then  the  symptoms  of  corruptibility  soon 
made  their  appearance.  We  cannot,  if  entering  into 
the  truth  and  reality  of  our  position,  hoard  up.  It 
is  our  privilege,  day  by  day,  to  enter  into  the  prc- 
ciousness  of  Christ,  as  the  One  who  came  down  from 
heaven  to  give  life  unto  the  world.  But  if  any,  in 
forgetfulness  of  this,  should  be  found  hoarding  up 
for  to-morrow,  that  is,  laying  up  truth  beyond  his 
present  need,  instead  of  turning  it  to  profit  in  the 
way  of  renewing  strength,  it  will  surely  become 
corrupt.  This  is  a  salutary  lesson  for  us.  It  is  a 
deeply  solemn  thing  to  learn  truth ;  for  there  is  not 
a  principle  which  we  profess  to  have  learnt  which  we 
shall  not  have  to  prove  practically.  God  will  not 
have  us  theorists.  One  often  trembles  to  hear  per- 


CHAPTER    XVI.  219 

sons  make  high  professions  and  use  expressions  of 
intense  devotedness,  whether  in  prayer  or  otherwise, 
lest,  when  the  hour  of  trial  comes,  there  may  not 
be  the  needed  spiritual  power  to  carry  out  what  the 
lips  have  uttered. 

There  is  a  great  danger  of  the  intellect's  outstrip- 
ping the  conscience  and  the  affections.  Hence  it  is 
that  so  many  seem,  at  first,  to  make  such  rapid 
progress  up  to  a  certain  point ;  but  there  they  stop 
short  and  appear  -to  retrograde.  Like  an  Israelite 
gathering  up  more  manna  than  he  required  for  one 
day's  food.  He  might  appear  to  be  accumulating 
the  heavenly  food  far  more  diligently  than  others ; 
yet  every  particle  beyond  the  day's  supply  was  not 
only  useless,  but  far  worse  than  useless,  inasmuch  as 
it  c '  bred  worms. ' '  Thus  is  it  with  the  Christian.  He 
must  use  what  he  gets, — he  must  feed  upon  Christ 
as  a  matter  of  actual  need,  and  the  need  is  brought 
out  in  actual  service.  The  character  and  ways  of 
God,  the  preciousness  and  beauty  of  Christ,  and  the 
living  depths  of  the  Word,  are  only  unfolded  to  faith 
and  need.  It  is  as  we  use  what  we  receive  that  more 
will  be  given.  The  path  of  the  believer  is  to  be  a 
practical  one  ;  and  here  it  is  that  so  many  of  us  come 
short.  It  will  often  be  found  that  those  who  get  on 
most  rapidly  in  theory  are  the  slowest  in  the  practi- 
cal and  experimental  elements,  because  it  is  more  a 
work  of  intellect  than  of  heart  and  conscience.  We 
should  ever  remember  that  Christianity  is  not  a  set 
of  opinions,  a  system  of  dogmas,  or  a  number  of 
views ;  it  is  pre-eminently  a  living  reality, — a  per- 


220  EXODUS. 

sonal,  practical,  powerful  thing,  telling  itself  out  in 
all  the  scenes  and  circumstances  of  daily  life,  shed- 
ding its  hallowed  influence  over  the  entire  character 
and  course,  and  imparting  its  heavenly  tone  to  every 
relationship  which  one  may  be  called  of  God  to  fill. 
In  a  word,  it  is  that  which  flows  from  being  associa- 
ted and  occupied  with  Christ.  This  is  Christianity. 
There  may  be  clear  views,  correct  notions,  sound 
principles,  without  any  fellowship  with  Jesus ;  but 
an  orthodox  creed  without  Christ  will  prove  a  cold, 
barren,  dead  thing. 

Christian  reader,  see  carefully  to  it  that  you  are 
not  only  saved  by  Christ,  but  also  living  on  Him. 
Make  Him  the  daily  portion  of  3^011  r  soul.  Seek 
Him  "early,"  seek  him  "-only."  When  any  thing- 
solicits  your  attention,  ask  the  question,  Will  this 
bring  Christ  to  my  heart  ?  Will  it  unfold  Him  to 
my  affections,  or  draw  me  near  to  His  Person  ?  If 
not,  reject  it  at  once :  }Tes,  reject  it,  though  it  present 
itself  under  the  most  specious  appearance  and  with 
the  most  commanding  authority.  If  your  honest 
purpose  be  to  get  on  in  the  divine  life,  to  progress 
in  spirituality,  to  cultivate  personal  acquaintance 
with  Christ,  then  challenge  your  heart  solemnly  and 
faithfully  as  to  this.  Halve  Christ  your  habitual 
food.  Go,  gather  the  Manna  that  falls  on  the  dew- 
drops,  and  feed  upon  it  with  an  appetite  sharpened 
by  a  diligent  walk  with  God  through  the  desert. 
May  the  rich  grace  of  God  the  Holy  Ghost  abund- 
antly strengthen  you  in  all  this  !  * 

*My  reader  will  find  it  profitable  to  turn  to  the  sixth  of  John,  and 


CHAPTER    XVI.  221 

There  is  one  point  more  in  our  chapter  which  we 
shall  notice,  namely,  the  institution  of  the  Sabbath, 
in  its  connection  with  the  manna  and  Israel's  posi- 
tion as  here  set  forth.  From  the  second  chapter  of 
Genesis  down  to  the  chapter  now  before  us,  we  find 
no  mention  made  of  this  institution.  This  is  re- 
markable. Abel's  sacrifice,  Enoch's  walk  with  God, 
Noah's  preaching,  Abraham's  call,  together  with  the 
detailed  history  of  Isaac,  Jacob,  and  Joseph,  are  all 
presented ;  but  there  is  no  allusion  to  the  Sabbath 
until  we  find  Israel  recognized  as  a  people  in  rela- 
tionship and  consequent  responsibility  to  Jehovah. 
The  Sabbath  was  interrupted  in  Eden ;  and  here  we 
find  it  again  instituted  for  Israel  in  the  wilderness. 
But,  alas!  man  has  no  heart  for  God's  rest.  And 
it  came  to  pass  that  "there  went  out  some  of  the 
people  on  the  seventh  day  for  to  gather,  and  they 
found  none.  And  the  Lord  said  unto  Moses,  'How 
long  refuse  ye  to  keep  My  commandments  and  My 
laws  ?  See,  for  that  the  Lord  hath  given  you  the  Sab- 
bath, therefore  He  giveth  you  on  the  sixth  day  the 
bread  of  two  days  :  abide  ye  every  man  in  his  place  ; 


prayerfully  meditate  upon  it,  in  connection  with  the  subject  of  the 
manna.  The  passover  being  near,  Jesus  feeds  the  multitude,  and 
then  takes  His  departure  to  a  mountain,  there  to  be  alone.  From 
thence  He  comes  to  the  relief  of  His  distressed  people  tossed  upon 
the  troubled  waters.  After  this,  Ho  unfolds  the  doctrine  of  His 
Terson  and  work,  and  declares  how  Ho  was  to  give  His  flesh  for 
the  life  of  the  world,  and  that  none  could  have  life  sava  by  eating 
His  flesh  and  drinking  His  blood.  Finally,  He  speaks  of  Himself 
as  ascending  up  where  He  was  before  and  of  the  quickening  power 
of  the  Holy  Ghost.  It  is,  indeed,  a  rich  and  copious  chapter,  in 
which  the  spiritual  reader  will  flnd  a  vast  fund  of  truth  for  the 
comfort  and  edification  of  his  soul. 


222  EXODUS. 

let  no  man  go  out  of  his  place  on  the  seventh  day.'  ' 
(Ver.  27-29.)  God  would  have  His  people  enjoying 
sweet  repose  with  Himself.  He  would  give  them 
rest,  food,  and  refreshment,  even  in  the  wilderness. 
But  man's  heart  is  not  disposed  to  rest  with  God. 
The  people  could  remember  and  speak  of  the  time 
when  they  "sat  by  the  flesh  pots"  in  Egypt,  but 
they  could  not  appreciate  the  blessedness  of  sitting 
in  their  tents,  enjoying  with  God  "the  rest  of  the 
holy  Sabbath,"  feeding  upon  the  heavenly  manna. 

And,  be  it  remarked,  that  the  Sabbath  is  here 
presented  as  a  matter  of  gift. — ' '  The  Lord  hath  given 
you  the  Sabbath.  Further  on  in  this  book  we  shall 
find  it  put  in  the  form  of  a  law,  with  a  curse  and  a 
judgment  attached  to  it  in  the  case  of  disobedience. 
But  whether  fallen  man  gets  a  privilege  or  a  law,  a 
blessing  or  a  curse,  it  is  all  alike.  His  nature  is  bad. 
He  can  neither  rest  with  nor  work  for  God.  If  God 
works  and  makes  a  rest  for  him,  he  will  not  keep  it ; 
and  if  God  tells  him  to  work,  he  will  not  do  it.  Such 
is  man.  He  has  no  heart  for  God.  He  can  make 
use  of  the  name  of  the  Sabbath  as  a  something  to 
exalt  himself,  or  as  the  badge  of  his  own  religious- 
ness ;  but  when  we  turn  to  Exodus  xvi,  we  find  that 
he  cannot  prize  God's  Sabbath  as  a  gift,  and  when 
we  turn  to  Numbers  xv.  32-36,  we  find  he  cannot 
keep  it  as  a  law. 

Now, 'we  know  that  the  Sabbath,  as  well  as  the 
manna,  was  a  type.  In  itself,  it  was  a  real  blessing 
— a  sweet  mercy  from  the  hand  of  a  loving  and 
gracious  God,  who  would  relieve  the  toil  and  travail 


CHAPTER   XVI.  223 

of  a  sin-stricken  earth  by  the  refreshment  of  one  day 
of  rest  out  of  the  seven.  Whatever  way  we  look  at 
the  institution  of  the  Sabbath,  we  must  see  it  to  be 
pregnant  with  richest  mercy, — whether  we  view  it 
in  reference  to  man  or  to  the  animal  creation.  And, 
albeit,  that  Christians  observe  the  first  day  of  the 
week — the  Lord's  day — and  attach  to  it  its  proper 
principles,  yet  is  the  gracious  providence  equally 
observable,  nor  would  any  mind  at  all  governed  by 
right  feelings,  seek,  for  a  moment,  to  interfere  with 
such  a  signal  mercy.  "The  Sabbath  was  made 
for  man ; "  and  although  man  never  lias  kept  it,  ac- 
cording to  the  divine  thought  about  it,  that  does  not 
detract  from  the  grace  which  shines  in  the  appoint- 
ment of  it,  nor  divest  it  of  its  deep  significancy  as  a 
type  of  that  eternal  rest  which  remains  for  the  people 
of  God,  or  as  a  shadow  of  that  substance  which  faith 
now  enjoys  in  the  Person  and  work  of  a  risen  Christ. 
Let  not  the  reader  therefore  suppose  that  in  any 
thing  which  has  been  or  may  be  stated  in  these  pages 
the  object  is  to  touch,  in  the  slightest  degree,  the 
merciful  provision  of  one  day's  rest  for  man  and  the 
animal  creation,  much  less  to  interfere  with  the  dis- 
tinct place  which  the  Lord's  day  occupies  in  the  New 
Testament.  Nothing  is  further  from  the  writer's 
thoughts.  As  a  man  he  values  the  former,  and  as 
a  Christian  he  rejoices  in  the  latter,  far  too  deeply 
to  admit  of  his  penning  or  uttering  a  single  syllable 
which  would  interfere  with  either  the  one  or  the 
other.  He  would  only  ask  the  reader  to  weigh, 
with  a  dispassionate  mind,  in  the  balance  of  Holy 


224  EXODUS. 

Scripture,  every  line  and  every  statement,  and  not 
form  any  harsh  judgment  beforehand. 

This  subject  will  come  before  us  again,  in  our 
further  meditations,  if  the  Lord  will.  May  we  learn 
to  value  more  the  rest  which  our  God  has  provided 
for  us  in  Christ,  and  while  enjoying  Him  as  our  rest, 
may  we  feed  upon  Him  as  the  u hidden  Manna," 
laid  up,  in  the  power  of  resurrection,  in  the  inner 
sanctuary, — the  record  of  what  God  has  accom- 
plished, on  our  behalf,  by  coming  down  into  this 
world,  in  His  infinite  grace,  in  order  that  we  might 
be  before  Him  according  to  the  perfectness  of  Christ, 
and  feed  on  His  unsearchable  riches  forever. 


CHAPTER  XVII. 

^  A  ND  all  the  congregation  of  the  children  of 
•fj-  Israel  journeyed  from  the  wilderness  of  Sin, 
after  their  journeys,  according  to  the  commandment 
of  the  Lord,  and  pitched  in  Rephidim :,  and  there 
was  no  water  for  the  people  to  drink.  Wherefore 
the  people  did  chide  with  Moses,  and  said,  'Give  us 
water  that  we  may  drink.'  And  Moses  said  unto 
them,  'Why  chide  ye  with  me?  Wherefore  do  ye 
tempt  the  Lord?'  "  (Chap.  xvii.  1,  2.)  Did  we  not 
know  something  of  the  humiliating  evil  of  our  own 
hearts,  we  should  be  quite  at  a  loss  to  account  for 
Israel's  marvelous  insensibility  to  all  the  Lord's 
goodness,  faithfulness,  and  mighty  acts.  They  had 
just  seen  bread  descending  from  heaven  to  feed  six 


CHAPTER    XVII.  225 

hundred  thousand  people  in  the  wilderness ;  and 
now  they  are  "ready  to  stone"  Moses  for  bringing 
them  out  into  the  wilderness  to  kill  them  with  thirst. 
Nothing  can  exceed  the  desperate  unbelief  and  wick- 
edness of  the  human  heart  save  the  superabouncling 
grace  of  God.  In  that  grace  alone  can  any  one  find 
relief  under  the  growing  sense  of  his  evil  nature 
which  circumstances  tend  to  make  manifest.  Had 
Israel  been  transported  directly  from  Egypt  to  Ca- 
naan, they  would  not  have  made  such  sad  exhibitions 
of  what  the  human  heart  is,  and,  as  a  consequence, 
they  would  not  have  proved  such  admirable  ensam- 
ples  or  types  for  us ;  but  their  forty  years'  wander- 
ing in  the  desert  furnishes  us  with  a  volume  of 
warning,  admonition,  and  instruction,  fruitful  be- 
yond conception.  From  it  we  learn,  amongst  many 
other  things,  the  unvarying  tendency  of  the  heart 
to  distrust  God.  Any  thing,  in  short,  for  it  but 
God.  It  would  rather  lean  upon  a  cobweb  of  human 
resources  than  upon  the  arm  of  an  omnipotent,  all- 
wise,  and  infinitely  gracious  God  ;  and  the  smallest 
cloud  is  more  than  sufficient  to  hide  from  its  view 
the  light  of  His  blessed  countenance.  Well,  there- 
fore, may  it  be  termed  "an  evil  heart  of  unbelief," 
which  will  ever  show  itself  ready  to  "depart  from 
the  living  God." 

It  is  interesting  to  note  the  two  great  questions 
raised  by  unbelief  in  this  and  the  preceding  chapter. 
They  are  precisely  similar  to  those  which  spring  up 
within  and  around  us  every  day,  namely,  ^What 
shall  we  eat  ?  and  What  shall  we  drink  ?  We  do 


226  EXODUS. 

not  find  the  people  raising  the  third  question  in  the 
category — "Wherewithal  shall  we  be  clothed?" 
But  here  are  the  questions  of  the  wilderness — 
"What?"  "Where?"  "How?"  Faith  has  a  brief 
but  comprehensive  answer  to  all  the  three,  namely, 
GOD  !  Precious,  perfect  answer  !  O  that  the 
writer  and  the  reader  were  more  thoroughly  ac- 
quainted with  its  force  and  fullness  !  We  assuredly 
need  to  remember,  when  placed  in  a  position  of 
trial,  that  "there  hath  no  temptation  taken  us  but 
such  as  is  common  to  man :  but  God  is  faithful, 
who  will  not  suffer  3^011  to  be  tempted  above  that  ye 
are  able ;  but  will  with  the  temptation  also  make  a 
way  to  escape,  [or,  an  "issue" — cx/ladir,']  that  ye 
may  be  able  to  bear  it."  (1  Cor.  x.  13.)  Whenever 
we  get  into  trial,  we  may  feel  confident  that  with 
the  trial  there  is  an  issue,  and  all  we  need  is  a 
broken  will  and  a  single  eye  to  see  it. 

"And  Moses  cried  unto  the  Lord,  saying,  'What 
shall  I  do  unto  this  people  ?  they  be  almost  ready 
to  stone  me.'  And  the  Lord  said  unto  Moses,  'Go 
on  before  the  people,  and  take  with  thee  of  the  elders 
of  Israel;  and  thy  rod,  where  with  thou  smotest  the 
river,  take  in  thine  hand,  and  go.  Behold,  I  will 
stand  before  thee  there  upon  the  rock  in  Horeb, 
and  thou  shalt  smite  the  rock,  and  there  shall  come 
water  out  of  it,  that  the  people  may  drink.'  And 
Moses  did  so  in  the  sight  of  the  elders  of  Israel." 
(Ver.  4-6.)  Thus  all  is  met  by  the  most  perfect 
grace.  Every  murmur  brings  out  a  fresh  display: 
Here  we  have  the  refreshing  stream  gushing  from 


CHAPTER    XVII.  227 

the  smitten  rock — beauteous  type  of  the  Spirit  given 
as  the  fruit  of  Christ's  accomplished  sacrifice.  In 
chapter  xvi,  we  have  a  type  of  Christ  coming  down 
from  heaven  to  give  life  to  the  world.  In  chapter 
xvii,  we  have  a  type  of  the  Holy  Ghost,  "shed 
forth"  in  virtue  of  Christ's  finished  work.  "They 
drank  of  that  spiritual  Rock  that  followed  them, 
and  that  Rock  was  Christ."  (1  Cor.  x.  4.)  But 
who  could  drink  till  the  Rock  was  smitten  ?  Israel 
might  have  gazed  on  that  rock  and  died  of  thirst 
while  gazing ;  but  until  smitten  by  the  rod  of  God, 
it  could  yield  no  refreshment.  This  is  plain  enough. 
The  Lord  Jesus  Christ  was  the  centre  and  foundation 
of  all  God's  counsels  of  love  and  mercy.  Through 
Him  all  blessing  was  to  flow  to  man.  The  streams 
of  grace  were  designed  to  gush  forth  from  "the 
Lamb  of  God;"  but  then  it  was  needful  that  the 
Lamb  should  be  slain — that  the  work  of  the  cross 
should  be  an  accomplished  fact — ere  any  of  these 
things  could  be  actualized.  It  was  when  the  Rock 
of  Ages  was  cleft  by  the  hand  of  Jehovah  that  the 
flood-gates  of  eternal  love  were  thrown  wide  open, 
and  perishing  sinners  invited,  by  the  testimony  of  the 
Holy  Ghost,  to  "drink  abundantly,"  drink  deeply, 
drink  freely.  "The  gift  of  the  Holy  Ghost"  is  the 
result  of  the  Son's  accomplished  work  upon  the  cross. 
"The  promise  of  the  Father"  could  not  be  fulfilled 
until  Christ  had  taken  His  seat  at  the  right  hand  of 
the  Majesty  in  the  heavens,  having  wrought  out 
perfect  righteousness,  answered  all  the  claims  of 
holiness,  magnified  the  law  and  made  it  honorable, 


228  EXODUS. 

borne  the  unmitigated  wrath,  of  God  against  sin, 
exhausted  the  power  of  death,  and  deprived  the 
grave  of  its  victory.  He,  having  done  all  this, 
"ascended  tip  on  high,  led  captivity  captive,  and 
gave  gifts  unto  men.  Now  that  lie  ascended,  what 
is  it  but  that  He  also  descended  first  into  the  lower 
parts  of  the  earth  ?  He  that  descended  is  the  same 
also  that  ascended  up  far  above  all  heavens,  that 
He  might  fill  all  things."  (Eph.  iv.  8-10.) 

This  is  the  true  foundation  of  the  Church's  peace, 
blessedness,  and  glory  forever.  Until  the  rock  was 
smitten,  the  stream  was  pent  up,  and  man  could  do 
nothing.  What  human  hand  could  bring  forth  water 
from  a  flinty  rock  ?  And  so  we  may  ask,  What 
human  righteousness  could  afford  a  warrant  for 
opening  the  flood-gates  of  divine  love  ?  This  is  the 
true  way  in  which  to  test  jnan's  competency.  He 
could  not,  by  his  doings,  his  sayings,  or  his  feelings, 
furnish  a  ground  for  the  mission  of  the  Holy  Ghost. 
Let  him  be  or  do  what  he  may,  he  could  not  do  this. 
But  thank  God,  it  is  done ;  Christ  has  finished  -the 
work;  the  true  Rock  has  been  smitten,  and  the 
refreshing  stream  has  issued  forth,  so  that  thirsty 
souls  may  drink.  "The  water  that  I  shall  give 
him,"  says  Christ,  "shall  be  in  him  a  well  of  water, 
springing  up  into  everlasting  life."  (John  iv.  14.) 
Again  :  "In  the  last  cla}^,  that  great  day  of  the  feast, 
Jesus  stood  and  cried,  saying,  'If  any  man  thirst, 
let  him  come  unto  Me  and  drink.  He  that  believeth 
on  Me,  as  the  Scripture  hath  said,  out  of  his  belly 
shall  flow  rivers  of  living  water.'  (But  this  spake 


CHAPTER    XVII.  229 

He  of  the  Spirit,  which  they  that  believe  on  Him 
should  receive ;  for  the  Holy  Ghost  was  not  yet 
given,  because  that  Jesus  was  not  yet  glorified.)" 
(John  vii.  37-39  ;  compare,  also,  Acts  xix.  2.) 

Thus,  as  in  the  manna  we  have  a  type  of  Christ, 
so  in  the  stream  gushing  from  the  rock  we  have  a 
type  of  the  Holy  Ghost.  "If  thou  knewest  the  gift 
of  God  [&'.<?.,  Christ],  ....  thou  wouldest  have 
asked  of  Him,  and  He  would  have  given  thee  living 
water  [i.e.  the  Spirit]." 

Such,  then,  is  the  teaching  conveyed  to  the  spirit- 
ual mind  by  the  smitten  rock ;  but  the  name  of  the 
place  in  which  this  significant  type  was  presented  is 
a  standing  memorial  of  man's  unbelief. — "He  called 
the  name  of  the  place  Massah  [i.e.,  Temptation], 
and  Meribah  [7.e.,  Chiding],  because  of  the  chiding 
of  the  children  of  Israel,  and  because  they  tempted 
the  Lord,  saying,  'Is  the  Lord  among  us,  or  not?'  ' 
(Ver.  7.)  After  such  repeated  assurances  and  evi- 
dences of  Jehovah's  presence,*  to  raise  such  an  in- 
quiry proves  the  deep-seated  unbelief  of  the  human 
heart.  It  was,  in  point  of  fact,  tempting  Him. 
Thus  did  the  Jews,  in  the  day  of  Christ's  presence 
amongst  them,  seek  of  Him  a  sign  from  heaven, 
tempting  Him.  Faith  never  acts  thus ;  it  believes 
in  and  enjo}Ts  the  divine  presence,  not  by  a  sign, 
but  by  the  knowledge  of  Himself.  It  knows  He  is> 
there  to  be  enjoyed,  and  it  enjoys  Him.  Lord, 
grant  us  a  more  artless  spirit  of  confidence  ! 

The  next  point  suggested  by  our  chapter  is  one  of 
special  interest  to  us.      "Then  came  Amalek  and 
16 


230  EXODUS. 

fought  with  Israel  in  Rephiclim.  And  Moses  said 
unto  .Joshua,  'Choose  us  out  men,  and  go  out,  fight 
with  Amalek :  to-morrow  I  will  stand  on  the  top  of 
the  hill  with  the  rod  of  God  in  mine  hand.'  "  (Ver. 
8,  9.)  The  gift  of  the  Holy  Ghost  leads  to  conflict. 
The  light  rebukes  and  conflicts  with  the  darkness. 
Where  all  is  dark  there  is  no  struggle ;  but  the  very 
feeblest  struggle  bespeaks  the  presence  of  light. 
"The  flesh  lusteth  against  the  Spirit,  and  the  Spirit 
against  the  flesh  ;  and  these  are  contrary  the  one  to 
the  other,  so  that  ye  should  not  do  the  things  that  yc 
would."  (Gal.  v.  17.)  Thus  it  is  in  the  chapter 
before  us ;  we  have  the  rock  smitten  and  the  water 
flowing  forth,  and  immediately  we  read,  "Then  came 
Amalek  and  fought  with  Israel." 

This  is  the  first  time  that  Israel  are  seen  in  conflict 
with  an  external  foe.  Up  to  this  point,  the  Lord  had 
f tfugkt  for  them,  as  we  read  in  chapter  xiv,  "The 
Lord  shall  fight  for  you,  and  ye  shall  hold  your 
peace."  But  now  the  word  is,  "Choose  us  out 
men.19  True,  God  must  now  fight  in  Israel,  as, 
before,  He  had  fought  for  them.  This  marks  the 
difference,  as  to  the  type ;  and  as  to  the  antitype, 
we  know  that  there  is  an  immense  difference  between 
Christ's  battles  for  us,  and  the  Holy  Ghost's  battles 
in  us.  The  former,  blessed  be  God,  are  all  over, 
the  victory  gained,  and  a  glorious  and  an  everlasting 
peace  secured :  the  latter,  on  the  contrary,  are  still 
going  on. 

Pharaoh  and  Amalek  represent  two  different  pow- 
ers or  influences.  Pharaoh  represents  the  hindrance 


CHAPTER    XVII.  231 

to  Israel's  deliverance  from  Eg}^pt:  Am alek  repre- 
sents the  hindrance  to  their  walk  with  God  through 
the  wilderness.  Pharaoh  used  the  things  of  Egypt 
to  keep  Israel  from  serving  the  Lord ;  he  therefore 
prefigures  Satan,  who  uses  "this  present  evil  world" 
against  the  people  of  God:  Amalek,  on  the  other 
hand,  stands  before  us  as  the  type  of  the  flesh.  He 
was  the  grandson  of  Esau,  who  preferred  a  mess  of 
pottage  to  the  birthright.  (See  Gen.  xxxvi.  12.)  He 
was  the  first  who  opposed  Israel  after  their  baptism 
' '  in  the  cloud  and  in  the  sea. ' '  These  facts  serve  to 
fix  his  character  with  great  distinctness ;  and,  in 
addition  to  these,  we  know  that  Saul  was  set  aside 
from  the  kingdom  of  Israel  in  consequence  of  his 
failing  to  destroy  Amalek.  (1  Sam.  xv.)  And 
further,  we  find  that  Haman  is  the  last  of  the  Ama- 
lekites  of  whom  we  find  any  notice  in  Scripture. 
He  was  hanged  on  a  gallows  in  consequence  of  his 
wicked  attempt  against  the  seed  of  Israel.  (See 
Esther.)  No  Amalekite  could  obtain  entrance  into 
the  congregation  of  the  Lord.  And  finally,  in  the 
chapter  now  before  us,  the  Lord  declares  perpetual 
war  with  Amalek. 

All  these  circumstances  may  be  regarded  as  fur- 
nishing conclusive  evidence  of  the  fact  that  Amalek 
is  a  type  of  the  flesh.  The  connection  between  his 
conflict  with  Israel  and  the  water  flowing  out  of  the 
rock  is  most  marked  and  instructive,  and  in  full 
keeping  with  the  believer's  conflict  with  his  evil 
nature,  which  conflict  is,  as  we  know,  consequent 
upon  his  having  the  new  nature,  and  the  Holy  Ghost 


232  EXODUS. 

dwelling  therein.  Israel's  conflict  began  when  they 
stood  in  the  full  power  of  redemption,  and  had 
tasted  "that  spiritual  meat,  and  drunk  of  that 
spiritual  Rock."  Until  they  met  Amalek,  they  had 
nothing  to  do.  They  did  not  cope  with  Pharaoh ; 
'  they  did  not  break  the  power  of  Egypt,  nor  snap 
asunder  the  chains  of  its  thraldom ;  they  did  not 
divide  the  sea,  nor  submerge  Pharaoh's  hosts  be- 
neath its  waves ;  they  did  not  bring  down  bread 
from  heaven,  nor  draw  forth  water  out  of  the  flinty 
rock ; — they  neither  had  done,  nor  could  they  do, 
any  of  these  things ;  but  now  they  are  called  to 
fight  with  Amalek.  All  the  previous  conflict  had 
been  between  Jehovah  and  the  enemy.  They  had 
but  to  "stand  still"  and  gaze  upon  the  mighty 
triumphs  of  Jehovah's  outstretched  arm,  and  enjoy 
the  fruits  of  victory.  The  Lord  had  fought  for 
them  ;  but  now  He  fights  in  or  %  them. 

Thus  is  it  also  with  the  Church  of  God.  The 
victories  on  which  her  eternal  peace  and  blessedness 
are  founded  were  gained,  single-handed,  by  Christ 
for  her.  He  was  alone  on  the  cross,  alone  in  the 
tomb.  The  Church  had  to  stand  aside,  for  how 
could  she  be  there? — how  could  she  vanquish  Satar, 
endure  the  wrath  of  God,  or  rob  death  of  its  sting? 
Impossible.  These  things  lay  far  beyond  the  reach 
of  sinners,  but  not  beyond  the  reach  of  Him  who 
came  to  save  them,  and  who  alone  was  able  to  bear 
upon  His  shoulder  the  ponderous  weight  of  all  their 
sins,  and  roll  the  burden  away  forever,  by  His  in- 
finite sacrifice,  so  that  God  the  Holy  Ghost,  pro- 


CHAPTER    XVII.  233 

ceeding  from  God  the  Father,  in  virtue  of  the 
perfect  atonement  of  God  the  Son,  can  take  up 
His  abode  in  the  Church  collectively,  and  in  each 
member  thereof  individually. 

Now  it  is  when  the  Holy  Ghost  thus  takes  up  His 
abode  in  us,  consequent  upon  Christ's  death  and 
resurrection,  that  our  conflict  begins.  Christ  has 
fought  for  us ;  the  Holy  Ghost  fights  in  us.  The 
very  fact  of  our  enjoying  this  first  rich  spoil  of 
victory,  puts  us  into  direct  conflict  with  the  foe; 
but  the  comfort  is  that  we  are  victors  ere  we  enter 
upon  the  field  of  conflict  at  all.  The  believer  ap- 
proaches to  the  battle  singing,  "Thanks  be  to  God 
which  give th  us  the  victory  through  our  Lord  Jesus 
Christ."  (1  Cor.  xv.  57.)  We  do  not,  therefore, 
fight  uncertainly,  or  as  those  that  beat  the  air,  while 
we  seek  to  keep  under  the  body  and  bring  it  into 
subjection.  (1  Cor.  ix.  26,  27.)  "We  are  more 
than  conquerors  through  Him  that  loved  us."  (Rom. 
viii.  37.)  The  grace  in  which  we  stand  renders  the 
flesh  utterly  void  of  power  to  lord  it  over  us.  (See 
Rom.  vi,  passim.)  If  the  law  is  "the  strength  of 
Gin,"  grace  is  the  weakness  thereof.  The  former 
gives  sin  power  over  us ;  the  latter  gives  us  power 
over  sin. 

"And  Moses  said  unto  Joshua,  'Choose  us  out 
men,  and  go  out,  fight  with  Amalek:  to-morrow  I 
will  stand  on  the  top  of  the  hill  with  the  rod  of  God 
in  mine  hand.'  So  Joshua  did  as  Moses  had  said 
unto  him,  and  fought  with  Amalek;  and  Moses, 
Aaron,  and  Hur  went  up  to  the  top  of  the  hill.  And 


234  EXODUS. 

it  came  to  pass,  when  Moses  held  up  his  hand,  that 
Israel  prevailed;  and  when  he  let  down  his  hand, 
Amalek  prevailed.  Bat  Moses'  hands  were  heavy  ; 
and  they  took  a  stone  and  put  it  under  him,  and 
he  sat  thereon  ;  and  Aaron  and  Hur  stayed  up  his 
hands,  the  one  on  the  one  side  and  the  other  on  the 
other  side ;  and  his  hands  were  steady  until  the 
going  down  of  the  sun.  And  Joshua  discomfited 
Amalek  and  his  people  with  the  edge  of  the  sword." 
(Verses  9-13.) 

We  have  here  two  distinct  things,  namely,  conflict 
and  intercession.  Christ  is  on  high  for  us,  while  the 
Holy  Ghost  carries  on  the,  mighty  struggle  in  us. 
The  two  things  go  together.  It  is  as  we  enter  by 
faith  into  the  prevalency  of  Christ's  intercession  on 
our  "behalf  that  we  make  head  against  our  evil  nature. 

Some  there  arc  who  seek  to  overlook  the  fact  of 
the  Christian's  conflict  with  the  flesh.  They  look 
upon  regeneration  as  a  total  change  or  renewal  of 
the  old  nature.  Upon  this  principle  it  would  neces- 
sarily follow  that  the  believer  has  nothing  to  strug- 
gle with.  If  my  nature  is  renewed,  what  have  I  to 
contend  with  ?  Nothing.  There  is  nothing  within, 
inasmuch  as  my  old  nature  is  made  new ;  and  no- 
thing without  can  affect  me,  inasmuch  as  there  is  no 
response  from  within.  The  world  lias  no  charms 
for  one  whose  flesh  is  entirely  changed,  and  Satan 
has  nothing  by  or  on  which  to  act.  To  all  who 
maintain  such  a  theoiy,  it  may  be  said  that  they 
seem  to  forget  the  place  which  Amalek  occupies  in 
the  history  of  the  people  of  God.  Had  Israel  con- 


CHAPTER    XVII.  235 

ceived  the  idea  that  when  Pharaoh's  hosts  were 
gone  their  conflict  was  at  an  end,  they  would  have 
been  sadly  put  about  when  Amalek  came  upon  them. 
The  fact  is,  theirs  only  then  began.  Thus  it  is  with 
the  believer,  for  "all  these  things  happened  unto 
Israel  for  ensamples,  and  they  are  written  for  our 
admonition."  (1  Cor.  x.  11.)  But  there  could  be 
no  "type,"  no  "ensample,"  no  "admonition,"  in 
"these  things"  for  one  whose  old  nature  is  made 
new.  Indeed,  such  an  one  can  have  but  little  need 
of  any  of  those  gracious  provisions  which  God  has 
made  in  His  kingdom  for  those  who  are  the  subjects 
thereof. 

We  are  distinctly  taught  in  the  Word  that  the 
believer  carries  about  with  him  that  which  answers 
to  Amalek,  that  is,  "the  flesh"— "the  old  man"— 
"the  carnal  mind."  (Rom.  vi.  G  ;  viii.  7  ;  Gal.  v.  17.) 
Now,  if  the  Christian,  upon  perceiving  the  stirrings 
of  his  evil  nature,  begins  to  doubt  his  being  a  Chris- 
tian, he  will  not  only  render  himself  exceedingly 
unhappy,  but  also  deprive  himself  of  his  vantage- 
ground  against  the  enemy.  The  flesh  exists  in  the 
believer  and  will  be  there  to  the  end  of  the  chapter. 
The  Ploly  Ghost  fully  recognizes  it  as  existing,  as 
we  may  easily  see,  from  various  parts  of  the  New 
Testament.  In  Romars  vi.  we  read,  "Let  not  sin 
therefore  reign  in  your  mortal  bodies."  Such  a 
precept  would  be  entirely  uncalled  for  if  the  flesh 
were  not  existing  in  the  believer.  It  would  be  out 
of  character  to  tell  us  not  to  let  sin  reign,  if  it  were 
not  actually  dwelling  in  us.  There  is  a  great  differ- 


236  EXODUS. 

ence  between  dwelling  and  reigning.  It  dwells  in  a 
believer,  but  it  reigns  in  an  unbeliever. 

However,  though  it  dwells  in  us,  we  have,  thank 
God,  a  principle  of  power  over  it.  "Sin  shall  not 
have  dominion  over  you ;  for  ye  are  not  under  the 
law,  but  under  grace."  The  grace  which,  by  the 
blood  of  the  cross,  has  put  .away  sin,  insures  us  the 
victoiy,  and  gives  us  present  power  over  its  indwell- 
ing principle. 

We  have  died  to  sin,  and  hence  it  has  no  claim 
over  us.  "He  that  has  died  is  justified  from  sin." 
"Knowing  this,  that  our  old  man  has  been  crucified 
with  Him,  that  the  body  of  sin  might  be  destroyed, 
that  henceforth  we  should  not  serve  sin."  (Rom. 
vi.  G.)  "And  Joshua  discomfited  Amalek  and  his 
people  with  the  edge  of  the  sword."  All  was 
victory;  and  Jehovah's  banner  floated  over  the 
triumphant  host,  bearing  the  sweet  and  heart-sus- 
taining inscription,  "  Jehovah-nissi"  (the  Lord  my 
banner).  The  assurance  of'  victory  should  be  as 
complete  as  the  sense  of  forgiveness,  seeing  both 
alike  are  founded  upon  the  great  fact  that  Jesus 
died  and  rose  again.  It  h  in  the  power  of  this  that 
the  believer  enjoys  a  purged  conscience  and  sub- 
dues indwelling  sin.  The  death  of  Christ  having 
answered  all  the  claims  of  God  in  reference  to  our 
sins,  His  resurrection  becomes  the  spring  of-  power 
in  all  the  details  of  conflict  afterwards.  He  died/or 
us,  and  now  He  lives  in  us.  The  former  gives  us 
peace,  the  latter  gives  us  power. 

It  is  edifying  to  remark   the    contrast   between 


CHAPTER    XVII.  237 

Moses  on  the  hill  and  Christ  on  the  throne.  The 
hands  of  our  great  Intercessor  can  never  hang  down. 
His  intercession  never  fluctuates.  uHe  ever  liveth 
to  make  intercession  for  us."  (Heb.  vii.)  His  in- 
tercession is  never-ceasing  and  all-prevailing.  Hav- 
ing taken  His  place  on  high,  in  the  power  of  divine 
righteousness,  He  acts  for  us  according  to  what  He 
is,  and  according  to  the  infinite  perfectness  of  what 
He  has  done.  His  hands  can  never  hang  down,  nor 
can  He  need  any  one  to  hold  them  up.  His  perfect 
advocacy  is  founded  upon  His  perfect  sacrifice.  He 
presents  us  before  God,  clothed  in  His  own  perfec- 
tions, so  that  though  we  may  ever  have  to  keep  our 
faces  in  the  dust,  in  the  sense  of  what  we  are,  yet 
the  Spirit  can  only  testify  to^us  of  what  He  is  before 
God  for  us,  and  of  what  we  are  in  Him.  "We  are 
not  in  the  flesh,  but  in  the  Spirit."  (Rom.  viii. )  We 
are  in  the  body,  as  to  the  fact  of  our  condition  ;  but 
we  are  not  in  the  flesli,  as  to  the  principle  of  our 
standing.  Moreover,  the  flesh  is  in  us,  though  we 
are  dead  to  it ;  but  we  are  not  in  the  flesh,  because 
we  are  alive  with  Christ. 

We  may  further  remark,  on  this  chapter,  that 
Moses  had  the  rod  of  God  writh  him  on  the  hill — the 
rod  with  which  he  had  smitten  the  rock.  This  rod 
was  the  expression  or  symbol  of  the  power  of  God, 
which  is  seen  alike  in  atonement  and  intercession. 
When  the  work  of  atonement  was  accomplished, 
Christ  took  His  seat  in  heaven,  and  sent  down  the 
Holy  Ghost  to  take  up  His  abode  in  the  Church  ;  so 
that  there  is  an  inseparable  connection  between  the 


238  EXODUS. 

work  of  Christ  and  the  work  of  the  Spirit.     There 
is  the  application  of  the  power  of  God  in  each. 


CHAPTER  XVIII. 

WE  here  arrive  at  the  close  of  a  very  marked 
division  of  the  book  of  Exodus.  We  have 
seen  God,  in  the  exercise  of  His  perfect  grace, 
visiting  and  redeeming  His  people,  bringing  them 
forth  out  of  the  land  of  Eg}Tpt,  delivering  them  first 
from  the  hand  of  Pharaoh  and  then  from  the  hand 
of  Amalek.  Furthermore,  we  have  seen,  in  the 
manna,  a  type  of  Christ  come  down  from  heaven ; 
in  the  rock,  a  type  of  Christ  smitten  for  His  people  ; 
and  in  the  gushing  stream,  a  type  of  the  Spirit  given. 
Then  follows,  in  striking  and  beautiful  order,  a  pic- 
ture of  the  future  glory,  divided  into  its  three  grand 
departments,  namely,  "the  Jew,  the  Gentile,  and 
the  Church  of  God." 

During  the  period  of  Moses'  rejection  by  his 
brethren,  he  was  taken  apart  and  presented  with  a 
bride — the  companion  of  his  rejection.  We  were 
led  to  see,  at  the  opening  of  this  book,  the  charac- 
ter of  Moses'  relationship  with  this  bride.  He  was 
"a  husband  by  blood"  to  her.  This  is  precisely 
what  Christ  is  to  the  Church.  Her  connection  with 
Him  is  founded  upon  death  and  resurrection  ;  and 
she  is  called  to  fellowship  with  His  sufferings.  It 
is,  as  we  know,  during  the  period  of  Israel's  un- 
belief and  of  Christ's  rejection  that  the  Church  is 


CHAPTER    XVIII.  239 

called  out ;  and  when  the  Church  is  complete, 
according  to  the  divine  counsels — when  the  "full- 
ness of  the  Gentiles  is  come  in" — Israel  shall  again 
be  brought  into  notice. 

Thus  it  was  with  Zipporah  and  Israel  of  old. 
Moses  had  sent  her  back  during  the  period  of  his 
mission  to  Israel ;  and  when  the  latter  were  brought 
forth  as  a  fully  delivered  people,  we  read  thaf'Jeth- 
ro,  Moses'  father-in-law,  took  Zipporah,  Moses'  wife, 
after  he  had  sent  her  back,  and  her  two  sons,  of 
which  the  name  of  the  one  was  Gershom  ;  'For,'  he 
said,  'I  have  been  an  alien  in  a  strange  land  ; '  and 
the  name  of  the  other  was  Eliezer ;  '  For  the  God  of 
my  fathers,'  said  he,  'was  mine  help,  and  delivered 
me  from  the  sword  of  Pharaoh.'  And  Jethro,  Moses' 
father-in-law,  came  with  his  sons  and  his  wife  unto 
Moses  into  the  wilderness,  where  he  encamped  at 
the  mount  of  God.  And  he  said  unto  Moses,  'I, 
thy  father-in-law,  Jethro,  am  come  unto  thee,  and 
thy  wife  and  her  two  sons  with  her.'  And  Moses 
went  out  to  meet  his  father-in-law,  and  did  obei- 
sance, and  kissed  him ;  and  they  asked  each  other 
of  their  welfare  ;  and  they  came  into  the  tent.  And 
Moses  told  his  father-in-law  all  that  the  Lord  had 
done  unto  Pharaoh  and  to  the  Egyptians  for  Israel's 
sake,  and  all  the  travail  that  had  come  upon  them 
by  the  way,  and  how  the  Lord  delivered  them.  And 
Jethro  rejoiced  for  all  the  goodness  which  the  Lord 
had  done  to  Israel,  whom  He  had  delivered  from 
the  hand  of  the  Egyptians.  And  Jethro  said, 
'Blessed  be  the  Lord,  who  hath  delivered  you  out 


240  EXODUS. 

of  the  hand  of  the  Egyptians,  and  out  of  the  hand 
of  Pharaoh ;  who  hath  delivered  the  people  from 
under  the  hand  of  the  Egyptians.  Now  I  know 
that  the  Lord  is  greater  than  all  gods ;  for  in  the 
thing  wherein  they  dealt  proudly  He  was  above 
them.'  And  Jethro,  Moses'  father-in-law,  took  a 
burnt-offering  and  sacrifices  for  God ;  and  Aaron 
came,  and  all  the  elders  of  Israel,  to  eat  bread 
with  Moses'  father-in-law  before  God."  (Chap.xviii. 
2-12.) 

This  is  a  deeply  interesting  scene.  The  whole 
congregation  assembled  in  triumph  before  the  Lord, 
the  Gentile  presenting  sacrifice,  and  in  addition, 
to  complete  the  picture,  the  bride  of  the  deliverer, 
together  with  the  children  whom  God  had  given 
him,  are  all  introduced.  It  is,  in  short,  a  singularly 
striking  foreshadowing  of  the  coming  kingdom. 
u  The  Lord  will  give  grace  and  gloiy."  We  have 
already  seen,  in  what  we  have  traveled  over  of  this 
book,  very  much  of  the  actings  of  "grace;"  and 
here  we  have,  from  the  pencil  of  the  Holy  Ghost,  a 
beauteous  picture  of  "glory," — a  picture  which 
must  be  regarded  as  peculiarly  important,  as  ex- 
hibiting the  varied  fields  in  which  that  glory  shall 
be  manifested. 

"The  Jew,  the  Gentile,  and  the  Church  of  God" 
are  scriptural  distinctions  which  can  never  be  over- 
looked without  marring  that  perfect  range  of  truth 
which  God  has  revealed  in  His  holy  Word.  They 
have  existed  ever  since  the  mystery  of  the  Church 
was  fully  developed  by  the  ministry  of  the  apostle 


CHAPTER    XVIII.  241 

Paul,  and  they  shall  exist  throughout  the  millennial 
age.  Hence,  every  spiritual  student  of  Scripture 
will  give  them  their  due  place  in  his  mind. 

The  apostle  expressly  teaches  us,  in  his  epistle  to 
the  Ephesians,  that  the  mystery  of  the  Church  had 
not  been  made  known,  in  other  ages,  to  the  sons  of 
men,  as  it  was  revealed  to  him.  But  though  not 
directly  revealed,  it  had  been  shadowed  forth  in  one 
way  or  another ;  as,  for  example,  in  Joseph's  mar- 
riage with  an  Egyptian,  and  in  Moses'  marriage 
with  an  Ethiopian.  The  type  or  shadow  of  a  truth 
is  a  very  different  thing  from  a  direct  and  positive 
revelation  of  it.  The  great  mystery  of  the  Church 
was  not  revealed  until  Christ,  in  heavenly  glory, 
revealed  it  to  Saul  of  Tarsus.  Hence,  all  who  look 
for  the  full  unfolding  of  this  mystery  in  the  law, 
the  prophets,  or  the  psalms,  will  find  themselves 
engaged  in  unintelligent  labor.  When,  however, 
they  find  it  distinctly  revealed  in  the  epistle  to 
the  Ephesians,  they  will  be  able,  with  interest  and 
profit,  to  trace  its  foreshadowing  in  Old  Testament 
Scripture. 

Thus  we  have,  in  the  opening  of  our  chapter,  a 
millennial  scene.  All  the  fields  of  glory  lie  open  in 
vision  before  us.  "The  Jew"  stands  forth  as  the 
great  earthly  witness  of  Jehovah's  faithfulness,  His 
mercy,  and  His  power.  This  is  what  the  Jew  has 
been  in  bygone  ages,  it  is  what  he  is  now,  and  what 
he  will  be,  world  without  end.  ' '  The  Gentile ' '  reads, 
in  the  book  of  God's  dealings  with  the  Jew,  his 
deepest  lessons.  He  traces  the  marvelous  history 


242  EXODUS. 

of  that  peculiar  and  elect  people — "a  people  terrible 
from  their  beginning  hitherto  ;  "  he  sees  thrones  and 
empires  overturned,  nations  shaken  to  their  centre, 
every  one  and  every  thing  compelled  to  give  wajr,  in 
order  to  establish  the  supremacy  of  that  people  on 
whom  Jehovah  has  set  His  love.  "Now  I  know," 
he  says,  "that  the  Lord  is  greater  than  all  gods  ;  for 
in  the  thing  wherein  they  dealt  proudly  He  was 
above  them."  (Ver.  11.)  Such  is  the  confession  of 
"the  Gentile"  when  the  wondrous  page  of  Jewish 
history  lies  open  before  him. 

Lastly,  "the  Church  of  God"  collectively,  as  pre- 
figured by  Zipporah,  and  the  members  thereof  indi- 
vidually, as  seen  in  Zipporah' s  sons,  are  presented 
as  occupying  the  most  intimate  relationship  with 
the  deliverer.  All  this  is  perfect  in  its  "way.  We 
may  be  asked  for  our  proofs.  The  answer  is,  "I 
speak  as  unto  wise  men:  judge  ye  what  I  say." 
We  can  never  build  a  doctrine  upon  a  type ;  but 
when  a  doctrine  is  revealed,  a  type  thereof  may  be 
discerned  with  accuracy  and  studied  with  profit.  In 
every  case,  a  spiritual  mind  is  essentially  necessary, 
either  to  understand  the  doctrine  or  discern  the  type. 
"The  natural  man  receiveth  not  the  things  of  the 
Spirit  of  God ;  for  they  arc  foolishness  unto  him ; 
neither  can  he  know  them,  because  they  are  spirit- 
ually discerned."(l  Cor.  ii.  14.) 

From  verse  13  to  the  end  cf  our  chapter,  we  have 
the  appointment  of  rulers,  who  were  to  assist  Moses 
in  the  management  of  the  affairs  of  the  congregation. 
This  was  the  suggestion  of  Jethro,  who  feared  that 


CHAPTER    XVIII.  243 

Moses  would  "wear  away"  in  consequence  of  his 
labors.  In  connection  with  this,  it  may  "be  profitable 
to  look  at  the  appointment  of  the  seventy  elders  in 
Numbers  xi.  Here  we  find  the  spirit  of  Moses 
crushed  beneath  the  ponderous  responsibility  which 
devolved  upon  him,  and  he  gives  utterance  to  the 
anguish  of  his  heart  in  the  following  accents :  "And 
Moses  said  unto  the  Lord,  'Wherefore  hast  Thou 
afflicted  Thy  servant  ?  And  wherefore  have  I  not 
found  favor  in  Thy  sight,  that  Thou  layest  the  bur- 
den of  all  this  people  upon  me  ?  Have  I  conceived 
all  this  people?  have  I  begotten  them,  that  Thou 
shouldest  say  unto  me,  Carry  them  in  thy  bosom,  as 
a  nursing  father  beareth  the  suckling  child,  unto  the 
land  which  Thou  swarest  unto  their  fathers  ?  .  .  . 
I  am  not  able  to  bear  all  this  people  alone,  because 
it  is  too  heavy  for  me.  And  if  Thou  deal  thus  with 
me,  kill  me,  I  pray  Thee,  out  of  hand,  if  I  have 
found  favor  in  Thy  sight ;  and  let  me  not  see  my 
wretchedness."  (Numb.  xi.  11-15.) 

In  all  this  we  see  Moses  evidently  retiring  from  a 
post  of  honor.  If  God  were  pleased  to  make  him 
the  sole  instrument  in  managing  the  assembly,  it 
was  only  so  much  the  more  dignity  and  privilege 
conferred  upon  him.  True,  the  responsibility  was 
immense  ;  but  faith  would  own  that  God  was  amply 
sufficient  for  that.  Here,  however,  the  heart  of 
Moses  failed  him  (blessed  servant  as  he  was),  and 
he  says,  "I  am  not  able  to  bear  this  people  alone, 
because  it  is  to  heavy  for  me."  But  he  was  not 
asked  to  bear  them  alone,  for  God  was  with  him. 


244  EXODUS. 

They  were  not  too  heavy  for  God.  It  was  He  that 
was  bearing  them ;  Moses  was  but  the  instrument. 
He  might  just  as  well  have  spoken  of  his  rod  as 
bearing  the  people  ;  for  what  was  he  but  a  mere  in- 
strument in  God's  hand,  as  the  rod  was  in  his  ?  It 
is  here  the  servants  of  Christ  constantly  fail ;  and 
the  failure  is  all  the  more  dangerous  because  it  wears 
the  appearance  of  humility.  It  seems  like  distrust 
of  one's  self,  and  deep  lowliness  of  spirit,  to  shrink 
frcim  heavy  responsibility  ;  but  all  we  need  to  inquire 
is,  Has  God  imposed  that  responsibility?  If  so,  He 
will  assuredly  be  with  me  in  sustaining  it ;  and 
having  Him  with  me,  I  can  sustain  any  thing.  With 
Him,  the  weight  of  a  mountain  is  nothing;  without 
Him,  the  weight  of  a  feather  is  overwhelming.  It 
is  a  totally  different  thing  if  a  man,  in  the  vanity  of 
his  mind,  thrust  himself  forward  and  take  a  burden 
upon  his  shoulder  which  God  never  intended  him  to 
bear,  and  therefore  never  fitted  him  to  bear  it ;  we 
may  then  surely  expect  to  see  him  crushed  beneath 
the  weight :  but  if  God  lays  it  upon  him,  Pie  will 
qualify  and  strengthen  him  to  carry  it. 

It  is  never  the  fruit  of  humility  to  depart  from  a 
divinely-appointed  post.  On  the  contrary,  the  deep- 
est humility  will  express  itself  by  remaining  there  in 
simple  dependence  upon  God.  It  is  a  sure  evidence 
of  being  occupied  about  self  when  we  shrink  from 
service  on  the  ground  of  inability.  God  does  not 
call  us  unto  service  on  the  ground  of  our  ability, 
but  of  His  own ;  hence,  unless  I  am  filled  with 
thoughts  about  myself,  or  with  positive  distrust  of 


CHAPTER    XVIII.  245 

Him,  I  need  not  relinquish  any  position  of  service 
or  testimony  because  of  the  heavy  responsibilities 
attaching  thereto.  All  power  belongs  to  God,  and 
it  is  quite  the  same  whether  that  power  acts  through 
one  agent  or  through  seventy — the  power  is  still  the 
same  ;  but  if  one  agent  refuse  the  dignity,  it  is  only 
so  much  the  worse  for  him.  God  will  not  force 
people  to  abide  in  a  place  of  honor  if  they  cannot 
trust  Him  to  sustain  them  there.  The  way  lies 
always  open  to  them  to  step  down  from  their  dig- 
nity, and  sink  into  the  place  where  base  unbelief  is 
sure  to  put  us. 

Thus  it  was  with  Moses.  He  complained  of  the 
burden,  and  the  burden  was  speedily  removed  ;  but 
with  it  the  high  honor  of  being  allowed  to  carry 
it.  "And  the  Lord  said  unto  Moses,  'Gather  unto 
Me  seventy  men  of  the  elders  of  Israel  whom  thou 
knowest  to  be  the  elders  of  the  people,  and  officers 
over  them  ;  and  bring  them  unto  the  tabernacle  of 
the  congregation,  that  they  may  stand  there  with 
thee.  And  -I  will  come  down  and  talk  with  thee 
there :  and  I  will  take  of  the  spirit  which  is  upon 
thee,  and  will  put  it  upon  them  ;  and  they  shall  bear 
the  burden  of  the  people  with  thee,  that  thou  bear 
it  not  thyself  alone."  (Numb.  xi.  16,  17.)  There 
was  no  fresh  power  introduced.  It  was  the  same 
spirit,  whether  in  one  or  in  seventy.  There  was  no 
more  value  or  virtue  in  the  flesh  of  seventy  men 
than  in  the  flesh  of  one  man.  "It  is  the  spirit  that 
quickeneth ;  the  flesh  profiteth  nothing."  (John  vi. 
63. )  There  was  nothing  in  the  way  of  power  gained, 
17 


24  G  EXODUS. 

but  a  great  deal  in  the  way  of  dignity  lost,  by  this 
movement  on  the  part  of  Moses. 

In  the  after-part  of  Numbers  xi,  we  find  Moses 
giving  utterance  to  accents  of  unbelief,  which  called 

O  vD  7 

forth  from  the  Lord  a  sharp  rebuke. — "Is  the  Lord's 
hand  waxed  short?  Thou  shalt  see  now  whether  My 
word  shall  come  to  pass  unto  thee,  or  not."  If  my 
reader  will  compare  verses  11-15  with  verses  21,  22, 
he  will  sec  a  marked  and  solemn  connection.  The 
man  who  shrinks  from  responsibility,  on  the  ground 
of  his  own  feebleness,  is  in  great  danger  of  calling 
in  question  the  fullness  and  sufficiency  of  God's 
resources.  This  entire  scene  teaches  a  most  valua- 
ble lesson  to  every  servant  of  Christ  who  may  be 
tempted  to  feel  himself  alone  or  overburdened  in 
his  work.  Let  such  an  one  bear  in  mind  that,  where 
the  Holy  Ghost  is  working,  one  instrument  is  as 
good  and  as  efficient  as  seventy ;  and  where  He  is 
not  working,  seventy  arc  of  no  more  value  than  one. 
It  all  depends  upon  the  energy  of  the  Holy  Ghost. 
With  Him,  one  man  can  do  all,  endure  all,  sustain 
all ;  without  Him,  seventy  men  can  do  nothing. 
Let  the  lonely  servant  remember,  for  the  comfort 
and  encouragement  of  his  sinking  heart,  that,  pro- 
vided he  has  the  presence  and  power  of  the  Holy 
Ghost  with  him,  he  need  not  complain  of  his  burden 
nor  sigh  for  a  division  of  labor.  If  God  honor  a 
man  by  giving  him  a  great  deal  of  work  to  do,  let 
him  rejoice  therein  and  not  murmur  ;  for  if  he  mur- 
mur, he  can  very  speedily  lose  his  honor.  God  is 
at  no  loss  for  instruments.  He  could  from  the 


CHAPTER    XIX.  247 

stones  raise  up  children  unto  Abraham,  and  He 
can  raise  up  from  the  same  the  needed  agents  to 
carry  on  His  glorious  work. 

O  for  a  heart  to  serve  Him! — a  patient,  humble, 
self-emptied,  devoted  heart, — a  heart  ready  to  serve 
in  company,  ready  to  serve  alone, — a  heart  so  filled 
with  love  to  Christ  that  it  will  find  its  joy,  its  chief 
joy,  in  serving  Him,  let  the  sphere  or  character  of 
service  be  what  it  may!  This  assuredly  is  the  spe- 
cial need  of  the  day  in  which  our  lot  is  cast.  May 
the  Holy  Ghost  stir  up  our  hearts  to  a  deeper  sense 
of  the  exceeding  preciousness  of. the  name  of  Jesus, 
and  enable  us  to  yield  a  fuller,  clearer,  more  un- 
equivocal response  to  the  changeless  love  of  His 
heart ! 


CHAPTER  XIX. 

WE  have  now  arrived  at  a  most  momentous  point 
in  Israel's  history.  We  are  called  to  behold 
them  standing  at  the  foot  of  "the  mount  that  might 
be  touched,  and  that  burned  with  fire."  The  fair 
millennial  scene  which  opened  before  us  in  the  pre- 
ceding chapter  has  passed  away.  It  was  but  a  brief 
moment  of  sunshine  in  which  a  very  vivid  picture  of 
the  kingdom  was  afforded ;  but  the  sunshine  was 
speedily  followed  by  the  heavy  clouds  which  gathered 
around  that  "palpable  mount/'  where  Israel,  in  a 
spirit  of  dark  and  senseless  legalit}r,  abandoned 
Jehovah's  covenant  of  pure  grace  for  man's  cove- 
nant of  works.  Disastrous  movement !  A  movement 


248 


fraught  with  the  most  dismal  results.  Hitherto,  as 
we  have  seen,  no  enemy  could  stand  before  Israel, — 
no  obstacle  was  suffered  to  interrupt  their  onward 
and  victorious  march.  Pharaoh's  hosts  were  over- 
thrown, Amalek  and  his  people  were  discomfited 
with  the  edge  of  the  sword :  all  was  victory,  because 
God  was  acting  on  behalf  of  His  people,  in  pur- 
suance of  His  promise  to  Abraham,  Isaac,  and 
Jacob. 

In  the  opening  verses  of  the  chapter  now  before 
us,  the  Lord  recapitulates  His  actings  toward  Israel 
in  the  following  touching  and  beautiful  language : 
"Thus  shalt  thou  say  to  the  house  of  Jacob,  and 
tell  the  children  of  Israel:  Ye  have  seen  what  I 
did  unto  the  Egyptians,  and  how  I-  bare  you  on 
eagles'  wings,  and  brought  you  unto  Myself.  Now, 
therefore,  if  ye  will  obey  My  voice  indeed,  and  keep 
My  covenant,  then  }re  shall  be  a  peculiar  treasure 
unto  Me  above  all  people  ;  for  all  the  earth  is  Mine. 
And  ye  shall  be  unto  Me  a  kingdom  of  priests  and 
a  holy  nation."  (Ver.  3-6.)  Observe,"  it  is  "My 
voice ' '  and  ' '  My  covenant. ' '  What  was  the  utterance 
of  that  "voice"?  and  what  did  that  "covenant" 
involve  ?  Had  Jehovah's  voice  made  itself  heard 
for  the  purpose  of  laying  down  the  rules  and  regu- 
lations of  a  severe  and  unbending  lawgiver  ?  By 
no  means.  It  had  spoken  to  demand  freedom  for 
the  captive,  to  provide  a  refuge  from  the  sword  of 
the  destroyer,  to  make  a  way  for  the  ransomed  to 
pass  over,  to  bring  down  bread  from  heaven,  to 
draw  forth  water  out  of  the  flinty  rock  ; — such  had 


CHAPTER    XIX.  249 

been  the  gracious  and  intelligible  utterances  of  Je- 
hovah's "voice"  up  to  the  moment  at  which  "Israel 
camped  before  the  mount." 

And  as  to  His  "covenant,"  it  was  one  of  un- 
mingled  grace.  It  proposed  no  condition,  it  made 
no  demands,  it  put  no  }Toke  on  the  ne.ck,  no  burden 
on  the  shoulder.  When  ' '  the  God  of  glory  appeared 
unto  Abraham,"  in  Ur  of  the  Chaldees,  He  certainly 
did  not  address  him*  in  such  words  as,  Thou  shalt 
do  this,  and  Thou  shalt  not  do  that.  Ah,  no  ;  such 
language  was  not  according  to  the  heart  of  God.  It 
suits  Him  far  better  to  place  ua  fair  mitre"  upon  a 
sinner's  head  than  to  "put  a  yoke  upon  his  neck." 
His  word  to  Abraham  was,  "I  WILL  GIVE."  The 
land  of  Canaan  was  not  to  be  purchased  by  man's 
doings,  but  to  be  given  by  God's  grace.  Thus  it 
stood ;  and  in  the  opening  of  the  book  of  Exodus, 
we  see  God  coming  down  in  grace  to  make  good 
His  promise  to  Abraham's  seed.  The  condition  in 
which  He  found  that  seed  made  no  difference,  inas- 
much as  the  blood  of  the  lamb  furnished  Him  with 
a  perfectly  righteous  ground  on  which  to  make  good 
His  promise.  He  evidently  had  not  promised  the 
land  of  Canaan  to  Abraham's  seed  on  the  ground 
of  aught  that  He  foresaw  in  them,  for  this  would 
have  totally  destroyed  the  real  nature  of  a  promise, 
— it  would  have  made  it  a  compact  and  not  a  prom- 
ise ;  "but  God  gave  it  to  Abraham  by  promise," 
and  not  by  compact.  (Read  Gal.  iii.) 

Hence,  in  the  opening  of  this  nineteenth  chapter, 
the  people  are  reminded  of  the  grace  in  which  Jeho- 


250  EXODUS. 

vah  had  hitherto  dealt  with  them  ;  and  they  are  also 
assured  of  what  they  should  yet  be,  provided  they 
continued  to  hearken  to  Mercy's  heavenly  "voice," 
and  to  abide  in  the  "covenant "of  free  and  absolute 
grace.  "Ye  shall  be  a  peculiar  treasure  unto  Me 
above  all  people."  How  could  they  be  this  ?  Was 
it  by  stumbling  up  the  ladder  of  self-righteousness 
and  legalism ?  Would  they  be  "  a  peculiar  treasure" 
when  blasted  by  the  curses  of  a  broken  law — a  law 
which  they  had  broken  before  ever  they  received 
it  ?  Surely  not.  How,  then,  were  they  to  be  this 
"peculiar  treasure"  ?  By  standing  in  that  position 
in  which  Jehovah  surveyed  them  when  he  compelled 
the  covetous  prophet  to  exclaim,  "How  goodly  are 
thy  tents,  O  Jacob,  and  thy  tabernacles,  O  Israel ! 
As  the  valleys  are  they  spread  forth,  as  gardens  by 
the  river's  side,  as  the  trees  of  lign  aloes  which  the 
Lord  hath  planted,  and  as  cedar  trees  beside  the 
waters.  He  shall  pour  the  water  out  of  his  buckets, 
and  his  seed  shall  be  in  many  waters,  and  his  king 
shall  be  higher  than  Agag,  and  his  kingdom  shall 
be  exalted.  God  brought  him  forth  out  of  Egypt ; 
he  hath,  as  it  were,  the  strength  of  an  unicorn." 
(Numb.  xxiv.  5-8.) 

However,  Israel  was  not  disposed  to  occupy  this 
blessed  position.  Instead  of  rejoicing  in  God's 
"holy  promise,"  they  undertook  to  make  the  most 
presumptuous  vow  that  moral  lips  could  utter.  "All 
the  people  answered  together,  and  said,  ''All  that  the 
Lord  hath  spoken, .we  will  do.'"  (Chap.  xix.  8.) 
This  was  bold  language.  They  did  not  even  say,  We 


CHAPTER    XIX.  251 

hope  to  do,  or  We  will  endeavor  to  do.  This  would 
have  expressed  a  measure  of  self-distrust.  But  110 ; 
they  took  the  most  absolute  ground. — "We  will  do." 
Nor  was  this  the  language  of  a  few  vain  self-confident 
spirits  who  presumed  to  single  themselves  out  from 
the  whole  congregation.  No;  "aZZ  the  people  an- 
swered together.1"  They  were  unanimous  in  the 
abandonment  of  the  "holy  promise" — the  "holy 
covenant. ' ' 

And  now,  observe  the  result.  The  moment  Israel 
uttered  their  "singular  vow,"  the  moment  they  un- 
dertook to  "do,"  there  was  a  total  alteration  in  the 
aspect  of  things.  "And  the  Lord  said  unto  Moses, 
'Lo,  I  come  unto  thee  in  a  thick  cloud.  .  .  .  And 
thou  shalt  set  bounds  unto  the  people,  round  about, 
Baying,  Take  heed  to  yourselves,  that  ye  go  not  up 
into  the  mount,  or  touch  the  border  of  it :  whosoever 
toucheth  the  mount  shall  be  surely  put  to  death/  ' 
This  was  a  very  marked  change.  The  One  who  had 
just  said,  "I  bare  you  on  eagles'  wings,  and  brought 
you  unto  Myself,"  now  envelopes  Himself  "in  a 
thick  cloud,"  and  says,  "Set  bounds  unto  the  people, 
round  about."  The  sweet  accents  of  grace  and 
mercy  are  exchanged  for  the  "thunderings  and  light- 
nings" of  the  fiery  mount.  Man  had  presumed  to 
talk  of  his  miserable  doings  in  the  presence  of  God's 
magnificent  grace.  Israel  had  said,  "We  will  do," 
and  they  must  be  put  at  a  distance  in  order  that  it 
may  be  fully  seen  what  they  are  able  to  do.  God 
takes  the  place  of  moral  distance  ;  and  the  people  are 
but  too  well  disposed  to  have  it  so,  for  they  are  filled 


252  EXODUS. 

with  fear  and  trembling ;  and  no  marvel,  for  the  sight 
was  "terrible," — "so  terrible,  that  Moses  said,  'I 
exceedingly  fear  and  quake.' '  Who  could  endure 
the  sight  of  that  "devouring  fire,"  which  was  the 
apt  expression  of  divine  holiness  ?  ' '  The  Lord  came 
from  Sinai,  and  rose  up  from  Seir  unto  them ;  He 
shined  forth  from  Paran,  and  He  came  with  ten 
thousand  of  His  saints ;  from  His  right  hand  went 
a  fiery  law  for  them."  (Deut.  xxxiii.  2.)  The  term 
"fiery,"  as  applied  to  the  law,  is  expressive  of  its 
holiness, — "Our  God  is  a  consuming  fire" — per- 
fectly intolerant  of  evil,  in  thought,  word,  and 
deed. 

Thus,  then,  Israel  made  a  fatal  mistake  in  saying, 
"We  will  do."  It  was  taking  upon  themselves  a 
vow  which  they  were  not  able,  even  were  they  will- 
ing, to  pay  ;  and  we  know  who  has  said,  "Better  that 
thou  shouldest  not  vow,  than  that  thou  shouldest 
vow  and  not  pay. "  It  is  of  the  very  essence  of  a 
vow  that  it  assumes  the  competency  to  fulfill ;  and 
where  is  man's  competency?  As  well  might  a  bank- 
rupt draw  a  check  on  the  bank,  as  a  helpless  sinner 
make  a  vow.  A  man  who  makes  a  vow  denies  the 
truth  as  to  his  nature  and  condition.  He  is  ruined, 
what  can  he  do?  He  is  utterly  without  strength, 
and  can  neither  will  nor  do  any  thing  good.  Did 
Israel  keep  their  vow  ?  Did  they  do  ' '  all  that  the 
Lord  commanded?"  Witness  the  golden  calf,  the 
broken  tables,  the  desecrated  Sabbath,  the  despised 
and  neglected  ordinances,  the  stoned  messengers, 
the  rejected  and  crucified  Christ,  the  resisted  Spirit. 


CHAPTER    XIX.  253 

Such  are  the  overwhelming  evidences  of  man's  dis- 
honored vows.  Thus  must  it  ever  be  when  fallen 
humanity  undertakes  to  vow. 

Christian  reader,  do  }'ou  not  rejoice  in  the  fact 
that  your  eternal  salvation,  rests  not  on  your  poor 
shadowy  vows  and  resolutions,  but  on  "the  one 
offering  of  Jesus  Christ  once"?  Oh,  yes,  "this  is 
our  joy,  which  ne'er  can  fail."  Christ  has  taken  all 
our  vows  upon  Himself,  and  gloriously  discharged 
them  forever.  His  resurrection-life  flows  through 
His  members  and  produces  in  them  results  which 
legal  vowrs  and  leo;al  claims  never  could  effect.  He 

o  ~ 

is  our  life,  and  He  is  our  righteousness.  May  His 
name  be  precious  to  our  hearts.  May  His  cause 
ever  command  our  energies.  May  it  be  our  meat 
and  our  drink  to  spend  and  be  spent  in  His  dear 
service. 

I  cannot  close  this  chapter  without  noticing,  in 
connection,  a  passage  in  the  book  of  Deuteronomy 
which  may  present  a  difficulty  to  some  minds.  It 
has  direct  reference  to  the  subject  on  which  we  have 
been  dwelling.  "And  the  Lord  heard  the  voice  of 
your  words,  when  ye  spake  unto  me  ;  and  the  Lord 
said  unto  me,  '  I  have  heard  the  voice  of  the  words 
of  this  people,  which  they  have  spoken  unto  thee : 
they  have  well  said  all  that  they  have  spoken.1 "  (Deut. 
v.  28.)  From  this  passage  it  might  seem  as  though 
the  Lord  approved  of  their  making  a  vow ;  but  if 
my  reader  will  take  the  trouble  of  reading  the  entire 
context,  from  verse  twenty-four  to  twenty-seven,  he 
will  see  at  once  that  it  has  nothing  whatever  to  say 


254  EXODUS. 

to  the  vow,  but  that  it  contains  the  expression  of 
their  terror  at  the  consequences  of  their  vow.  They 
were  notable  to  endure  that  which  was  commanded. 
"If"  said  they,  "we  hear  the  voice  of  the  Lord  our 
God  any  more,  then  we  shall  die.  For  who  is  there 
of  all  flesh  that  hath  heard  the  voice  of  the  living 
God  speaking  out  of  the  midst  of  the  fire,  as  we 
have,  and  lived?  Go  thou  near,  and  hear  all  that 
the  Lord  our  God  shall  say ;  and  speak  thou  unto 
us  all  that  the  Lord  our  God  shall  speak  unto  thee, 
and  we  will  hear  it  and  do  it."  It  was  the  confes- 
sion of  their  own  inability  to  encounter  Jehovah  in 
that  awful  aspect  which  their  proud  legality  had  led 
Him  to  assume.  It  is  impossible  that  the  Lord  could 
ever  commend  an  abandonment  of  free  and  change- 
less grace  for  a  sandy  foundation  of  "  works  of  law." 


CHAPTER  XX. 

IT  is  of  the  utmost  importance  to  understand  the 
true  character  and  object  of  the  moral  law,  as 
set  forth  in  this  chapter.  There  is  a  tendency  in. 
the  mind  to  confound  the  principles  of  law  and 
grace,  so  that  neither  the  one  nor  the  other  can 
be  rightly  understood.  Law  is  shorn  of  its  stern 
and  unbending  majesty,  and  grace  is  robbed  of  all 
its  divine  attractions.  God's  holy  claims  remain 
unanswered,  and  the  sinner's  deep  and  manifold 
necessities  remain  unreached,  by  the  anomalous  sys- 
tem framed  by  those  who  attempt  to  mingle  law  and 


CHAPTER    XX.  255 

grace.  In  point  of  fact,  they  can  never  be  made  to 
coalesce,  for  they  are  as  distinct  as  any  two  things 
can  be.  Law  sets  forth  what  man  ought  to  be, 
grace  exhibits  what  God  is.  How  can  these  ever  be 
wrought  up  into  one  system  ?  How  can  the  sinner 
ever  be  saved  by  a  system  made  up  of  half  law,  half 
grace  ?  Impossible.  It  must  be  either  the  one  or 
the  other. 

TheJaw  has  sometimes  been  termed  "the  transcript 
of  the  mind  of  God."  This  definition  is  entirely 
defective.  Were  we  to  term  it  a  transcript  of  the 
mind  of  God  as  to  what  man  ought  to  be,  we  should 
be  nearer  the  truth.  If  I  am  to  regard  the  ten  com- 
mandments as  the  transcript  of  the  mind  of  God, 
then,  I  ask,  is  there  nothing  in  the  mind  of  God 
save  "  Thou  shalt "  and  "  Thou  shalt  not "  ?  Is  there 
no  grace  ?  no  mercy  ?  no  loving-kindness  ?  Is  God 
not  to  manifest  what  He  is  ?  Is  He  not  to  tell  out 
the  deep  secrets  of  that  love  which  dwells  in  His 
bosom  ?  Is  there  naught  in  the  divine  character  but 
stern  requirement  and  prohibition  ?  Were  this  so, 
we  should  have  to  say,  God  is  law,  instead  of  uGod 
is  love."  But,  blessed  be  His  name,  there  is  more 
in  His  heart  than  could  ever  be  wrapped  up  in  the 
* '  ten  wof  ds ' '  uttered  on  the  fiery  mount.  If  I  want  to 
see  what  God  is,  I  must  look  at  Christ ;  "for  in  Him 
dwelleth  all  the  fullness  of  the  Godhead  bodily." 
(Col.  ii.  9.)  "The  law  was  given  by  Moses,  but 
grace  and  truth  came  by  Jesus  Christ."  (Johni.  17.) 
Assuredly  there  was  a  measure  of  truth  in  the  law ; 
it  contained  the  truth  as  to  what  man  ought  to  be. 


25  G  EXODUS. 

Like  everything  else  emanating  from  God,  it  was 
perfect  so  far  as  it  went — perfect  for  the  object  for 
which  it  was  administered  ;  but  that  object  was  not, 
by  any  means,  to  unfold,  in  the  view  of  guilty  sin- 
ners, the  nature  and  character  of  God.  There  was 
no  grace,  no  mercy.  "He  that  despised  Moses'  law 
died  without  mercy."  (Heb.  x.  28.)  "The  man  that 
cloeth  these  things  shall  live  by  them."  (Lev.  xviii. 
5  ;  Rom.  x.  5.)  "Cursed  is  every  one  that  contin- 
neth  not  in  all  things  that  are  written  in  the  book  of 
the  law  to  do  them."  (Dent,  xxvii.  26  ;  Gal.  iii.  10.) 
This  was  not  grace.  Indeed,  Mount  Sinai  was  not 
the  place  to  look  for  any  such  thing.  There  Jeho- 
vah revealed  Himself  in  awful  majesty,  amid  black- 
ness, darkness,  tempest,  thunderings,  and  lightnings. 
These  were  not  the  attendant  circumstances  of  an 
economy  of  grace  and  mercy ;  but  they  were  well 
•suited  to  one  of  truth  and  righteousness,  and  the 
law  was  that  and  nothing  else. 

In  the  law,  God  sets  forth  what  a  man  ought  to 

'  O 

be,  and  pronounces  a  curse  upon  him  if  he  is  not 
that.  But  then  a  man  finds,  when  he  looks  at  him- 
self in  the  light  of  the  law,  that  he  actually  is  the 
very  thing  which  the  law  condemns.  How  then  is 
he  to  get  life  by  it?  It  proposes  life  and  righteous- 
ness as  the  ends  to  be  attained  by  keeping  it ;  but  it 
proves,  at  the  very  outset,  that  we  are  in  a  state 
of  death  and  unrighteousness.  We  want  the  very 
things  at  the  beginning  which  the  law  proposed  to 
be  gained  at  the  end.  How,  therefore,  are  we  to 
gain  them  ?  In  order  to  do  what  the  law  requires, 


CHAPTETR    XX.  257 

I  must  have  life ;  and  in  order  to  be  what  the  law 
requires,  I  must  have  righteousness  ;  and  if  I  have 
not  both  the  one  and  the  other,  I  am  "cursed." 
But  the  fact  is,  I  have  neither.  What  am  I  to  do? 
This  is  the  question.  Let  those  who  "desire  to  be 
teachers  of  the  law"  furnish  an  answer.  Let  them 
furnish  a  satisfactory  reply  to  an  upright  conscience, 
bowed  down  under  the  double  sense  of  the  spirit- 
uality and  inflexibility  of  the  law  and  its  own  hope- 
less carnality. 

The  truth  is,  as  the  apostle  teaches  us,  "the  law 
entered  that  the  offense  might  abound."  (Rom.  v. 
20.)  This  shows  us  very  distinctly  the  real  object 
of  the  law.  It  came  in  by  the  way  in  order  to  set 
forth  the  exceeding  sinfulness  of  sin.  (Rom.vii.  13.) 
It  was,  in  a  certain  sense,  like  a  perfect  mirror  let 
down  from  heaven  to  reveal  to  man  his  moral  de- 
rangement. If  I  present  myself  with  deranged 
habit  before  a  mirror,  it  shows  me  the  derangement, 
but  does  not  set  it  right.  If  I  measure  a  crooked 
wall  with  a  perfect  plumb-line,  it  reveals  the  crook- 
edness, but  does  not  remove  it.  If  I  take  out  a 
lamp  on  a  dark  night,  it  reveals  to  me  all  the  hin- 
drances and  disagreeables  in  the  way,  but  it  does 
not  remove  them.  Moreover,  the  mirror,  the  plumb- 
line,  and  the  lamp  do  not  create  the  evils  which  they 
severally  point  out ;  they  neither  create  nor  remove, 
but  simply  reveal.  Thus  it  is  with  the  law ;  it  does 
not  create  the  evil  in  man's  heart,  neither  does  it 
remove  it ;  but,  with  unerring  accuracy,  it  reveals  it. 

' '  What  shall  we  say  then  ?     Is  the  law  sin  ?    God 


258  EXODUS. 

forbid.  Nay,  I  had  not  known  sin,  but  by  the  law ; 
for  I  had  not  known  lust,  except  the  law  had  said, 
'Thou  shalt  not  covet.'"  (Rom.  vii.  7.)  He  does 
not  say  that  he  would  not  have  had  "lust."  No; 
but  merely  that  he  "had  not  known"  it.  The 
"lust"  was  there ;  but  he  was  in  the  dark  about  it 
until  the  law,  as  "the  candle  of  the  Almighty," 
shone  in  upon  the  dark  chambers  of  his  heart  and 
revealed  the  evil  that  was  there.  Like  a  man  in  a 
dark  room,  who  may  be  surrounded  with  dust  and 
confusion,  but  he  cannot  see  aught  thereof  by  rea- 
son of  the  darkness.  Let  the  beams  of  the  sun  dart 
in  upon  him,  and  he  quickly  perceives  all.  Do  the 
sunbeams  create  the  dust  ?  Surely  not.  The  dust 
is  there,  and  they  only  detect  and  reveal  it.  This  is 
a  simple  illustration  of  the  effect  of  the  law.  It 
judges  man's  character  and  condition;  it  proves 
.  him  to  be  a  sinner,  and  shuts  him  up  under  the 
curse  ;  it  comes  to  judge  what  he  is,  and  curses  him 
if  he  is  not  what  it  tells  him  he  ought  to  be. 

It  is  therefore  a  manifest  impossibility  that  any 
one  can  get  life  and  righteousness  by  that  which  can 
only  curse  him ;  and  unless  the  condition  of  the 
sinner,  and  the  character  of  the  law  are  totally 
changed,  it  can  do  naught  else  but  curse  him.  It 
makes  no  allowance  for  infirmities,  and  knows  no- 
thing of  sincere,  though  imperfect,  obedience.  Were 
it  to  do  so,  it  would  not  be  what  it  is — :"holy,  just, 
arid  good."  It  is  just  because  the  law  is  what  it  is 
that  the  sinner  cannot  get  life  by  it.  If  he  could  get 
life  by  it,  it  would  not  be  perfect,  or  else  he  would 


CHAPTER    XX.  259 

not  be  a  sinner.  It  is  impossible  that  a  sinner  can 
get  life  by  a  perfect  law,  for  inasmuch  as  it  is  per- 
fect, it  must  needs  condemn  him.  Its  absolute 
perfectness  makes  manifest  and  seals  man's  abso- 
lute ruin  and  condemnation.  "Therefore,  by  deeds 
of  law  shall  no  flesh  living  be  justified  in  His  sight ;  • 
for  by  the  law  is  the  knowledge  of  sin."  (Rom.  iii. 
20.)  He  does  not  say,  By  the  law  is  sin,  but  only 
"the  knowledge  of  sin."  "For  until  the  law,  sin 
was  in  the  world  ;  but  sin  is  not  imputed  when  there 
is  no  law."  (Rom.  v.  13.)  Sin  was  there,  and  it 
only  needed  law  to  develop  it  in  the  form  of  c '  trans- 
gression." •  It  is  as  if  I  say  to  my  child,  You  must 
not  touch  that  knife.  My  very  prohibition  reveals 
the  tendency  in  his  heart  to  do  his  own  will.  It 
does  not  create  the  tendency,  but  only  reveals  it. 

The  apostle  John  says  that  "sin  is  lawlessness." 
(1  John  iii.  4.)  The  word  "transgression"  does 
not  develop  the  true  idea  of  the  Spirit  in  this  pas- 
sage. In  order  to  have  "transgression,"  I  must 
have  a  definite  rule  or  line  laid  down.  Transgres- 
sion means  a  passing  across  a  prohibited  line  ;  such 
a  line  I  have  in  the  law.  I  take  any  one  of  its 
prohibitions,  such  as,  "Thou  shalt  not  kill,"  "Thou 
shalt  not  commit  adultery,"  "Thou  shalt  not  steal." 
Here  I  have  a  rule  or  line  set  before  me  ;  but  I  find 
I  have  within  me  the  very  principles  against  which 
these  prohibitions  are  expressly  directed.  Yea,  the 
very  fact  of  my  being  told  not  to  commit  murder 
shows  that  I  have  murder  in  my  nature.  There 
would  be  no  necessity  to  tell  me  not  to  do  a  thing 


260  EXODUS. 

which  I  had  no  tendency  to  do ;  but  the  exhibition 
of  God's  will  as  to  what  I  ought  to  be  makes  mani- 
fest the  tendency  of  my  will  to  be  what  I  ought  not. 
This  is  plain  enough,  and  is  in  full  keeping  with  the 
whole  of  the  apostolic  reasoning  on  the  point. 

Many%  however,  will  admit  that  we  cannot  get  life 
by  the  law ;  but  they  maintain,  at  the  same  time, 
that  the  law  is  our  rule  of  life.  Now,  the  apostle 
declares  that  uas  many  as  are  of  works  of  law  are 
under  the  curse."  (Gal.  iii.  10.)  It  matters  not 
who  they  are,  if  they  occupy  the  ground  of  law, 
they  are,  of  necessity,  under  the  curse.  A  man 
may  say,  I  am  regenerate,  and  therefore  not  exposed 
to  the  curse.  This  will  not  do.  If  regeneration 
does  not  take  one  off  the  ground  of  law,  it  cannot 
take  him  beyond  the  range  of  the  curse  of  the  law. 
If  the  Christian  be  under  the  former,  he  is,  of 
necessity,  exposed  to  the  latter.  But  what  has  the 
law  to  do  with  regeneration  ?  where  do  we  find  any 
thing  about  it  in  Exodus  xx  ?  The  law  has  but  one 
question  to  put  to  a  man, — a  brief,  solemn,  pointed 
question,  namely,  Are  you  what  you  ought  to  be  ? 
If  he  answer  in  the  negative,  it  can  but  hurl  its 
terrible  anathema  at  him  and  slay  him.  And  who 
will  so  readily  and  emphatically  admit  that,  in  him- 
self, he  is  any  thing  but  what  he  ought  to  be,  as  the 
really  regenerate  man  ?  Wherefore,  if  he  is  under 
the  law,  he  must  inevitably  be  under  the  curse. 
The  law  cannot  possibly  lower  its  standard,  nor  yet 
amalgamate  with  grace.  Men  do  constantly  seek  to 
lower  its  standard ;  they  feel  that  they  cannot  get 


CHAPTER    XX.  261 

up  to  it,  and  they  therefore  seek  to  bring  it  down  to 
them ;  but  the  effort  is  in  vain :  it  stands  forth  in 
all  its  purity,  majesty,  and  stern  inflexibility,  and 
will  not  accept  a  single  hair's  breadth  short  of  per- 
fect obedience ;  and  where  as  the  man,  regenerate 
or  unregerierate,  that  can  undertake  to  produce 
that  ?  It  will  be  said,  We  have  perfection  in  Christ. 
True  ;  but  that  is  not  by  the  law,  but  by  grace  ;  and 
we  cannot  possibly  confound  the  two  economies. 
Scripture  largely  and  distinctly  teaches  that  we  are 
not  justified  by  the  law ;  nor  is  the  law  our  rule  of 
life..  That  which  can  only  curse  can  never  justify, 
and  that  which  can  only  kill  can  never  be  a  rule  of 
life.  As  well  might  a  man  attempt  to  make  a  for- 
tune by  a  deed  of  bankruptcy  filed  against  him. 

If  my  reader  will  turn  to  the  fifteenth  of  Acts,  he 
will  see  how  the  attempt  to  put  Gentile  believers 
under  the  law  as  a  rule  of  life  was  met  by  the  Holy 
Ghost.  "There  rose  up  certain  of  the  sect  of  the 
Pharisees  which  believed,  saying,  that  it  was  needful 
to  circumcise  them,  and  to  command  them  to  keep 
the  law  of  Moses."  This  was  nothing  else  than  the 
hiss  of  the  old  serpent,  making  itself  heard  in  the 
dark  and  depressing  suggestion  of  those  early  legal- 
ists. But  let  us  see  how  it  was  met  by  the  mighty 
energy  of  the  Holy  Ghost,  and  the  unanimous  voice 
of  the  twrelve  apostles  and  the  whole  Church.  "And 
when  there  had  been  much  disputing,  Peter  rose  up, 
and  said  unto  them,  'Men  and  brethren,  ye  know 
how  that  a  good  while  ago  God  made  choice  among 
us,  that  the  Gentiles  by  my  mouth  should  hear'  " — 
18 


262  EXODUS. 

what  ?  Was  it  the  requirements  and  the  curses  of 
the  law  of  Moses  ?  No.  Blessed  be  God,  these  are 
not  what  He  would. have  falling  on  the  ears  of  help- 
less sinners.  Hear  what,  then  ?  "SHOULD  HEAR 
THE  WORD  OF  THE  GOSPEL,  AND  BE- 
LIEVE." This  was  what  suited  the  nature  and 
character  of  God.  He  never  would  have  troubled 
men  with  the  dismal  accents  of  requirement  and 
prohibition.  These  Pharisees  were  not  His  messen- 
gers ;  far  -from  it.  They  were  not  the  bearers  of 
glad  tidings,  nor  the  publishers  of  peace,  and  there- 
fore their  "feet"  were  aught  but  "beautiful"  in  the 
ej^es  of  One  who  only  delights  in  mercy. 

"Now,  therefore,"  continues  the  apostle,  "why 
tempt  }-e  God,  to  put  a  yoke  upon  the  neck  of  the 
disciples,  which  neither  our  fathers  nor  we  were  able 
to  bear?"  This  was  strong,  earnest  language. 
God  did  not  want  "to  put  a  yoke  upon  the  neck" 
of  those  whose  hearts  had  been  set  free  by  the 
gospel  of  peace.  He  would  rather  exhort  them  to 
stand  fast  in  the  liberty  of  Christ,  and  not  be  "en- 
tangled again  with  the  }'oke  of  bondage."  He  would 
not  send  those  whom  He  had  received  to  His  bosom 
of  love  to  be  terrified  by  the  "blackness  and  dark- 
ness and  tempest"  of  "the  mount  that  might  be 
touched."  How  could  we  ever  admit  the  thought 
that  those, whom  God  had  received  in  grace  He 
would  rule  by  law  ?  Impossible.  "We  believe," 
says  Peter,  "that  through  the  GRACE  OF  THE 
LORD  JESUS  CHRIST  we  shall  be  saved,  even  as 
they."  Both  the  Jews,  who  had  received  the  law, 


CHAPTER    XX.  263 

and  the  Gentiles,  who  never  had,  were  now  to  be 
"saved  through  grace."  And  not  only  were  they  to 
be  "saved"  by  grace,  but  they  were  to  "stand"  in 
grace  (Rom.  v.  2.)  and  to  "grow  in  grace"  (2  Pet. 
iii.  18.).  To  teach  any  thing  else  was  to  "tempt 
God."  Those  Pharisees  were  subverting  the  very 
foundations  of  the  Christian  faith ;  and  so  are  all 
those  who  seek  to  put  believers  under  the  law. 
There  is  no  evil  or  error  more  abominable  in  the 
sight  of  the  Lord  than  legalism.  Hearken  to  the 
strong  language — the  accents  of  righteous  indigna- 
tion— which  fell  from  the  Holy  Ghost  in  reference 
to  those  teachers  of  the  law, — "I  would  they  were 
even  cut  off  which  trouble  you."  (Gal.  v.  12.) 

And,  let  me  ask,  are  the  thoughts  of  the  Holy 
Ghost  changed  in  reference  to  this  question  ?  Has 
it  ceased  to  be  a  tempting  of  God  to  place  the  yoke 
of  legality  upon  a  sinner's  neck  ?  Is  ifc  now  in  ac- 
cordance with  His  gracious  will  that  the  law  should 
be  read  out  in  the  ears  of  sinners  ?  Let  my  reader 
reply  to  these  inquiries  in  the  light  of  the  fifteenth 
of  Acts  and  the  epistle  to  the  Galatians.  These 
scriptures,  were  there  no  other,  are  amply  sufficient 
to  prove  that  God  never  intended  that  the  c  c  Gentiles 
should  hear  the  word ' '  of  the  law.  Had  He  so  in- 
tended, He  would  assuredly  have  "made  choice"  of 
some  one  to  proclaim  it  in  their  ears.  But  no  ;  when 
He  sent  forth  His  ' '  fiery  law, ' '  He  spoke  only  in  one 
tongue;  but  when  He  proclaimed  the  glad  tidings 
of  salvation  through  the  blood  of  the  Lamb,  He 
spoke  in  the  language  "of  every  nation  under  heav- 


264  .    EXODUS. 

en."  He  spoke  in  such  a  way  as  that  "every  man 
in  his  own  tongue,  wherein  he  ivas  born,'9  might  hear 
the  sweet  story  of  grace.  (Acts  ii.  1-11.) 

Farther,  when  He  was  giving  forth,  from  Mount 
Sinai,  the  stern  requirements  of  the  covenant  of 
works,  He  addressed  Himself  exclusively  to  one 
people.  His  voice  was  only  heard  within  the  narrow 
inclosures  of  the  Jewish  nation ;  but  when,  on  the 
plains  of  Bethlehem,  uthe  angel  of  the  Lord"  de- 
clared "good  tidings  of  great  joy,"  He  added  those 
characteristic  words,  "which  shall  be  to  all  people.'9 
And  again,  when  the  risen  Christ  was  sending  forth 
His  heralds  of  salvation,  His  commission  ran  thus: 
uGo  ye  into  all  the  world  and  preach  the  gospel  to 
every  creature.'9  (Mark  xvi.  15;  Luke  ii.  10.)  The 
mighty  tide  of  grace,  which  had  its  source  in  the 
bosom  of  God,  and  its  channel  in  the  blood  of  the 
Lamb,  was  designed  to  rise,  in  the  resistless  energy 
of  the  Holy  Ghost,  far  above  the  narrow  inclosures 
of  Israel,  and  roll  through  the  length  and  breadth 
of  a  sin-stained  world.  "Every  creature"  mast 
hear,  "in  his  own  tongue,"  the  message  of  peace 
— the  word  of  the  gospel — the  record  of  salvation 
through  the  blood  of  the  cross. 

Finally,  that  nothing  might  be  lacking  to  prove 
to  our  poor  legal  hearts  that  Mount  Sinai  was  not, 
by  any  means,  the  spot  where  the  deep  secrets  of 
the  bosom  of  God  were  told  out,  the  Holy  Ghost  has 
said,  both  by  the  mouth  of  a  prophet  and  an  apostle, 
"How  beautiful  are  the  feet  of  them  that  preach  the 
gospel  of  peace,  and  bring  glad  tidings  of  good 


CHAPTER   XX.  265 

things!"  (Isa.  iii.  7;  Rom.  x.  15.)  But  of  those 
who  sought  to  be  teachers  of  the  law,  the  same 
Holy  Ghost  has  said,  "I  would  they  were  even  cut 
off  which  trouble  3^011." 

Thus,  then,  it  is  obvious  that  the  law  is  neither 
the  ground  of  life  to  the  sinner  nor  the  rule  of  life 
to  the  Christian:  Christ  is  both  the  one  and  the 
other, — He  is  our  life  and  He  is  our  rule  of  life. 
The  law  can  only  curse  and  slay.  Christ  is  our  life 
and  righteousness.  He  became  a  curse  for  us  by 
hanging  on  a  tree.  He  went  down  into  the  place 
where  the  sinner  lay — into  the  place  of  death  and 
judgment;  and  having,  by  His  death,  entirely  dis- 
charged all  that  was  or  could  be  against  us,  He 
became,  in  resurrection,  the  source  of  life  and  the 
ground  of  righteousness  to  all  who  believe  in  His 
name.  Having  thus  life  and  righteousness  in  Him, 
we  are  called  to  walk  not  merely  as  the  law  directs, 
but  to  "walk  even  as  He  walked.'7  It  will  hardly 
be  deemed  •  needful  to  assert  that  it  is  directly  con- 
trary to  Christian  ethics  to  kill,  commit  adultery,  or 
steal.  But  were  a  Christian  to  shape  his  way  ac- 
cording to  these  commands,  or  according  to  the 
entire  decalogue,  would  he  yield  the  rare  and  deli- 
cate fruits  which  the  epistle  to  the  Ephesians  sets 
forth  ?  Would  the  ten  commandments  ever  cause  a 
thief  to  give  up  stealing,  and  go  to  work  that  he 
might  have  to  give  ? — would  they  ever  transform  a 
thief  into  a  laborious  and  liberal  man  ?  Assuredly 
not.  The  law  says,  "Thou  shalt  not  steal;"  but 
does  it  say,  Go  and  give  to  him  that  needeth, — Go, 


266  EXODUS. 

feed,  clothe,  and  bless  your  enemy, — Go,  gladden 
by  your  benevolent  feelings  and  your  beneficent  acts 
the  heart  of  him  who  only  and  always  seeks  your 
hurt?  By  no  means;  and  yet,  were  I  under  the 
law,  as  a  rule,  it  could  only  curse  me  and  slay  me. 
How  is  this,  when  the  standard  in  the  New  Testa- 
ment is  so  much  higher?  Because  I  am  weak,  and 
the  law  gives  me  no  strength  and  shows  me  no 
mercy.  The  law  demands  strength  from  one. that- 
has  none,  and  curses  him  if  he  cannot  display  it. 
The  gospel  gives  strength  to  one  that  has  none,  and 
blesses  him  in  the  exhibition  of  it.  The  law  proposes 
life  as  the  end  of  obedience,  the  gospel  gives  life  as 
the  only  proper  ground  of  obedience. 

But  that  I  may  not  weary  the  reader  with  argu- 
ments, let  me  ask,  If  the  law  be  indeed  the  rule  of 
a  believer's  life,  where  are  we  to  find  it  so  presented 
in  the  New  Testament?  The  inspired  apostle  evi- 
dently had  no  thought  of  its  being  the  rule  when  he 
penned  the  following  words :  "For  in  Christ  Jesus 
neither  circumcision  availeth  any  thing  nor  imcir- 
cumcision,  but  a  new  creation.  And  as  many  as 
walk  according  to  this  rule,  peace  be  on1  them,  and 
mercy,  and  oil  the  Israel  of  God."  (Gal.vi.  15, 16.) 
What  "rule"  ?  The  law?  No  ;  but  the  "new  crea- 
tion." Where  sha«ll  we  find  this  in  Exodus  xx  ?  It 
speaks  not  a  word  about  "new  creation."  On  the 
contrary,  it  addresses  itself  to  man  as  he  is — in  his 
natural  or  old-creation  state — and  puts  him  to  the 
test  as  to  what  he  is  really  able  to  do.  Now  if  the 
law  were  the  rule  by  which  believers  are  to  walk, 


CHAPTER    XX.  267 

why  does  the  apostle  pronounce  his  benediction  on 
those  who  walk  by  another  rule  altogether?  Why 
does  he  not  say,  As  many  as  walk  according  to  the 
rule  of  the  ten  commandments  ?  Is  it  not  evident, 
from  this  one  passage,  that  the  Church  of  God  has 
a  higher  rule  by  which  to  walk  ?  Unquestionably. 
The  ten  commandments,  though  forming,  as  all  true 
Christians  admit,  a  part  of  the  canon  of  inspiration, 
could  never  be  the  rule  of  life  to  one  who  has, 
through  infinite  grace,  been  introduced  into  the 
new  creation — one  who  has  received  new  life  in 
Christ. 

But  some  may  ask,  Is  not  the  law  perfect  ?  and 
if  perfect,  what  more  would  you  have  ?  The  law  is 
divinely  perfect.  Yea,  it  is  the  very  perfection  of 
the  law  which  causes  it  to  curse  and  slay  those  who 
are  not  perfect  if  they  attempt  to  stand  before  it. 
"The  law  is  spiritual,  but  I  am  carnal."  It  is 
utterly  impossible  to  form  an  adequate  idea  of  the 
infinite  perfectness  and  spirituality  of  the  law.  But 
then  this  perfect  law  coming  in  contact  with  fallen 
humanity — this  spiritual  law  coming  in  contact  with 
"the  carnal  mind,"  could  only  "work  wrath"  and 
"enmity."  (Rom.  iv.  15;  viii.  7.)  Why?  Is  it 
because  the  law  is  not  perfect  ?  No,  but  because  it 
is,  and  man  is  a  sinner.  If  man  were  perfect,  he 
would  carry  out  the  law  in  all  its  spiritual  perfect- 
ness  ;  and  even  in  the  case  of  true  believers,  though 
they  still  carry  about  with  them  an  evil  nature,  the 
apostle  teaches  us  "that  the  righteousness  of  the 
law  is  fulfilled  in  us,  who  walk  not  after  the  flesh, 


268  EXODUS. 

but  after  the  Spirit/'    (Rom.  viii.  4.)     "He  that 

loveth  another  hath  fulfilled  the  law Love 

worketh  no  ill  to  his  neighbor  ;  therefore  love  is  the 
fulfilling  of  the  law."  (Rom.  xiii.  8-10.)  If  I  love 
a  man,  I  shall  not  steal  his  property — nay,  I  shall 
seek  to  do  him  all  the  good  I  can.  All  this  is  plain, 
and  easily  understood  .by  the  spiritual  mind  ;  but  it 
leaves  entirely  untouched  the  question  of  the  law, 
whether  as  the  ground  of  life  to  a  sinner  or  the  rule 
of  life  to  the  believer. 

If  we  look  at  the  law,  in  its  two  grand  divisions, 
it  tells  a  man  to  love  God  with  all  his  heart,  and 
.with  all  his  soul,  and  with  all  his  mind  ;  and  to  love 
his  neighbor  as  himself.  This  is  the  sum  of  the 
law:  this,  and  not  a  tittle  less,  is  what  the  law 
demands.  But  where  has  this  demand  ever  been 
responded  to  by  any  member  of  Adam's  fallen 
posterity  ?  Where  is  the  man  who  could  say  he 
loves  God  after  such  a  fashion  ?  "The  carnal  mind 
[i.e.,  the  mind  which  we  have  by  nature]  is  enmity 
against  God."  Man  hates  God  and  His  ways.  God 
came,  in  the  Person  of  Christ,  and  showed  Himself 
to  man — showed  Himself,  not  in  the  overwhelming 
brightness  of  His  majesty,  but  in  all  the  charm 
and  sweetness  of  perfect  grace  and  condescension. 
What  was  the  result?  Man  hated  God. — "Now 
have  they  both  seen  and  hated  both  Me  and  My 
Father."  (John  xv.  24.)  But,  it  may  be  said,  man 
ought  to  love  God.  No  doubt,  and  he  deserves 
death  and  eternal  perdition  if  he  does  no't  ;  but 
can  the  law  produce  this  love  in  man's  heart  ?  was 


CHAPTER    XX.  269 

that  its  design?  By  no  means,  "for  the  law  worketh 
wrath."  The  law  finds  man  in  a  state  of  enmity 
against  God ;  and  without  ever  altering  that  state 
(for  that  was  not  its  province),  it  commands  him  to 
love  God  with  all  his  heart,  and  curses  him  if  he 
does  not.  It  was  not  the  province  of  the  law  to 
alter  or  improve  man's  nature ;  nor  yet  could  it 
impart  any  power  to  carry  out  its  righteous  de- 
mands. It  said,  "This  do,  and  thou  shalt  live." 
It  commanded  man  to  love  God.  It  did  not  reveal 
what  God  was  to  man,  even  in  his  guilt  and  ruin ; 
but  it  told  man  what  he  ought  to  be  toward  God. 
This  was  dismal  work.  It  was  not  the  unfolding  of 
the  powerful  attractions  of  the  divine  character, 
producing  in  man  true  repentance  toward  God, 
melting  his  icy  heart,  and  elevating  his  soul  in 
genuine  affection  and  worship.  No:  it  was  an  in- 
flexible command  to  love  God  ;  and,  instead  of  pro- 
ducing love,  it  "worked  wrath;"  not  because  God 
ought  not  to  be  loved,  but  because  man  was  a  sinner. 
Again,  "Thou  shalt  love  thy  neighbor  as  thyself." 
Can  "the  natural  man"  do  this  ?  Does  he  love  his 
neighbor  as  himself?  Is  this  the  principle  which 
obtains  in  the  chambers  of  commerce,  the  exchanges} 
the  banks,  the  marts,  the  fairs,  and  the.  markets  of 
this  world  ?  Alas  !  no.  Man  does  not  love  his 
neighbor  as  he  loves  himself.  No  doubt  he  ought ; 
and  if  he  were  right,  he  would ;  but  then  he  is 
all  wrong — totally  wrong — and  unless  he  is  "born 
again"  of  the  Word  and  the  Spirit  of  God,  he  can- 
not "see  nor  enter  the  kingdom  of  God."  The  law 


270  EXODUS. 

cannot  produce  this  new  birth.  It  kills  "the  old 
man,"  but  dees  not,  and  cannot,  create  "the  new." 
As  an  actual  fact,  we  know  that  the  Lord  Jesus 
Christ  embodied,  in  His  glorious  Person,  both  God 
and  our  neighbor,  inasmuch  as  He  was,  according 
to  the  foundation-truth  of  the  Christian  religion, 
"God  manifest  in  the  flesh."  How  did  man  treat 
Him  ?  Did  he  love  Him  with  all  his  heart,  or  as 
himself?  The  very  reverse.  He  crucified  Him 
between  two  thieves,  having  previously'  preferred  a 
murderer  and  a  robber  to  that  blessed  One  who  had 
gone  about  doing  good — who  had  come  forth  from 
the  eternal  dwelling-place  cf  light  and  love — Him- 
self the  very  living  personification  of  that  light  and 
love — whose  bosom  had  ever  heaved  with  purest 
sympathy  with  human  need — whose  hand  had  ever 
been  ready  to  dry  the  sinner's  tears  and  alleviate  his 
sorrows.  Thus  we  stand  and  gaze  upon  the  cross 
of  Christ,  and  behold  in  it  an  unanswerable  demon- 
stration of  the  fact  that  it  is  not  within  the  range  of 
man's  nature  or  capacity  to  keep  the  law.* 

It  is  peculiarly  interesting  to  the  spiritual  mind, 
after  all  that  has  passed  before  us,  to  observe  the 
relative  position  of  God  and  the  sinner  at  the  close 
of  this  memorable  chapter.  "And  the  Lord  said 
unto  Moses,  'Thus  thou  shalt  say  unto  the  children 
of  Israel  .  *  .  .  An  altar  of  earth  thou  shalt  make 
unto  Me,  and  shalt  sacrifice  thereon  thy  burnt-offer- 

*  For  further  exposition  of  the  law,  and  also  of  the  doctrine  of 
the  Sabbath,  the  reader  is  referred  to  a  tract  entitled  "A  Scriptural 
Inquiry  into  the  True  Nature  of  the  Sabbath,  the  Law,  and  the 
Christian  Ministry." 


CHAPTER    XX.  271 

ings  and  thy  peace-offerings,  thy  sheep  and  thine 
oxen :  in  all  places  where  I  record  My  name  I  WILL 

COME   UNTO   THEE,  AND   I    WILL   BLESS    THEE.       And  if 

thou  wilt  make  Me  an  altar  of  stone,  thou  shalt  not 
build  it  of  hewn  stone  ;  for  if  thou  lift  up  thy  tool 
upon  it,  thou  hast  polluted  it.  Neither  shalt  thou 
go  up  by  steps  unto  Mine  altar,  that  thy  nakedness 
be  not  discovered  thereon.'  "  (Yer.  22-26.) 

Here  we  find  man  not  in  the  position  of  a  doer, 
but  of  a  worshiper;  and  this,  too,  at  the  close  of 
Exodus  xx.  How  plainly  this  teaches  us  that  the 
atmosphere  of  Mount  Sinai  is  not  that  which  God 
would  have  the  sinner  breathing, — that  it  is  not  the 
proper  meeting-place  between  God  and  man !  "In 
all  places  where  I  recor$  My  name  I  will  come  unto 
tliee,  and  I  will  bless  thee."  How  unlike  the  terrors 
of  the  fiery  mount  is  that  spot  where  Jehovah  records 
His  name,  whither  He  "comes"  to  "bless"  His 
worshiping  people  ! 

But  further,  God  will  meet  the  sinner  at  an  altar 
without  a  hewn  stone  or  a  step — a  place  of  worship 
which  requires  no  human  workmanship  to  erect,  or 
human  effort  to  approach.  The  former  could  only 
pollute,  and  the  latter  could  only  display  human 
' '  nakedness. ' '  Admirable  type  of  the  meeting-place 
where  God  meets  the  sinner  now,  even  the  Person 
and  work  of  His  Son,  Jesus  Christ,  where  all  the 
claims  of  law,  of  justice,  and  of  conscience  are 
perfectly  answered  !  Man  has,  in  every  age  and  in 
every  clime,  been  prone,  in  one  way  or  another,  to 
"lift  up  his  tool"  in  the  erection  of  his  altar,  or  to 


272  EXODUS. 

approach  thereto  by  steps  of  his  own  making ;  but 
the  issue  of  all  such  attempts  has  been  "pollution" 
and  "nakedness."  "We  all  do  fade  as  a  leaf,  and 
all  our  righteousnesses  are  as  filthy  rags."  Who 
will  presume  to  approach  God  clad  in  a  garment  of 
"filthy  rags"?  or  who  wrill  stand  to  worship  with  a 
revealed  "nakedness"  ?  What  can  be  more  prepos- 
terous than  to  think  of  approaching  God  in  a  way 
which  necessarily  involves  either  pollution  or  naked- 
ness ?  And  3'et  thus  it  is  in  every  case  in  which 
human  effort  is  put  forth  to  open  the  sinner's  way 
to  God.  Not  only  is  there  no  need  of  such  effort, 
but  defilement  and  nakedness  are  stamped  upon  it. 
God  has  come  down  so  very  near  to  the  sinner,  even 
in  the  very  depths  of  his  ruin,  that  there  is  no  need 
for  his  lifting  up  the  tool  of  legality,  or  ascending 
the  steps  of  self-righteousness, — yea,  to  do  so,  is 
but  to  expose  his  uncleanness  and  his  nakedness. 

Such  are  the  principles  with  which  the  I-Ioly  Ghost 
closes  this  most  remarkable  section  of  inspiration. 
May  they  be  indelibly  written  upon  our  hearts,  that 
so  we  may  more  clearly  and  fully  understand  the 
essential  difference  between  LAW  and  GRACE. 


CHAPTEKS   XXI— XXIII. 

THE  study  of  this  section  of  our  book  is  eminently 
calculated  to  impress  the  heart  with  a  sense  of 
God's  unsearchable  wisdom  and  infinite  goodness. 
It  enables  one  to  form  some  idea  of  the  character 


CHAPTERS    XXI-XXIII.  273 

of  a  kingdom  governed  by  laws  of  divine  appoint- 
ment. Here,  too,  we  may  see  the  amazing  con- 
descension of  Him  who,  though  He  is  the  great  God 
of  heaven  and  earth,  can,  nevertheless,  stoop  to 
adjudicate  between  man  and  man  in  reference  to 
the  death  of  an  ox,  the  loan  of  a  garment,  or  the 
loss  of  a  servant's  tooth.  "Who  is  like  unto  the 
Lord  our  God,  who  humble th  Himself  to  behold  the 
things  that  are  in  heaven  and  on  earth?"  He  gov- 
erns the  universe,  and  yet  He  can  occupy  Himself 
with  the  provision  of  a  covering  for  one  of  His 
creatures,  lie  guides  the  angel's  flight  and  takes 
notice  of  a  crawling  worm.  He  humbles  Himself  to 
regulate  the  movements  of  those  countless  orbs  that 
roll  through  infinite  space,  and  to  record  the  fall  of 
a  sparrow. 

As  to  the  character  of  the  judgment  set  forth  in 
the  chapter  before  us,  we  may  learn  a  double  lesson. 
These  judgments  and  ordinances  bear  a  twofold 
witness :  they  convey  to  the  ear  a  twofold  message, 
and  present  to  the  eye  two  sides  of  a  picture.  They 
tell  of  God  and  they  tell  of  man. 

In  the  first  place,  on  God's  part,  we  find  Him 
enacting  laws  which  exhibit  strict,  even-handed, 
perfect  justice.  "Eye  for  eye,  tooth  for  tooth, 
hand  for  hand,  foot  for  foot,  burning  for  burning, 
wound  for  wound,  stripe  for  stripe."  Such  was  the 
character  of  the  laws,  the  statutes,  and  the  judg- 
ments by  which  God  governed  His  earthly  kingdom 
of  Israel.  Everything  was  provided  for,  every  in- 
terest wras  maintained,  and  every  claim  was  met. 


274  EXODUS. 

There  was  no  partiality — no  distinction  made  be- 
tween the  rich  and  the  poor.  The  balance  in  which 
each  man's  claim  was  weighed  was  adjusted  with 
divine  accuracy,  so  that  no  one  could  justly  com- 
plain of  a  decision.  The  pure  robe  of  justice  was 
not  to  be  tarnished  with  the  foul  stains  of  bribery, 
corruption,  and  partiality.  The  eye  and  the  hand  of 
a  divine  Legislator  provided  for  everything,  and  a 
divine  Executive  inflexibly  dealt  with  every  defaulter. 
The  stroke  of  justice  fell  only  on  the  head  of  the 
guilty,  while  every  obedient  soul  was  protected  in 
the  enjoyment  of  all  his  rights  and  privileges. 

Then,  as  regards  man,  it  is  impossible  to  read 
over  these  laws  and  not  be  struck  with  the  disclosure 
which  they  indirectly,  but  really,  make  of  his  des- 
perate depravity.  The  fact  of  Jehovah's  having  to 
enact  laws  against  certain  crimes,  proves  the  capa- 
bility on  man's  part  of  committing  those  crimes. 
Were  the  capability  and  the  tendency  not  there, 
there  would  be  no  need  of  the  enactments.  Now 
there  are  many  who,  if  the  gross  abominations  for- 
biddefi  in  these  chapters  were  named  to  them,  might 
feel  disposed  to  adopt  the  language  of  Hazael,  and 
say,  "Is  thy  servant  a  dog  that  he  should  do  this 
thing?"  Such  persons  have  not  yet  traveled  down 
into  the  deep  abyss  of  their  own  hearts.  For  albeit 
there  are  crimes  here  forbidden  which  would  seem 
to  place  man,  as  regards  his  habits  and  tendencies, 
below  the  level  of  a  "dog,"  yet  do  those  very  stat- 
utes prove,  beyond  all  question,  that  the  most  refined 
and  cultivated  member  of  the  human  family  carries 


CHAPTERS    XXI-XXIII.  275 

about  in  his  bosom  the  seeds  of  the  very  darkest 
and  most  horrifying  abominations.  For  whom  were 
those  statutes  enacted  ?  For  man.  Were  they  need- 
ful? Unquestionably.  But  they  would  have  been 
quite  superfluous  if  man  were  incapable  of  commit- 
ting the  sins  referred  to.  But  man  is  capable  ;  and 
hence  we  see  that  man  is  sunk  to  the  very  lowest 
possible  level — that  his  nature  is  wholly  corrupt — 
that  from  the  crown  of  his  head  to  the  sole  of  his 
foot  there  is  not  so  much  as  a  speck  of  moral 
soundness. 

How  can  such  a  being  ever  stand,  without  an 
emotion  of  fear,  in  the  full  blaze  of  the  throne  of 
God  ?  how  can  lie  stand  within  the  holiest  ?  how 
can  he  stand  on  the  sea  of  glass  ?  how  can  he  enter 
in  by  the  pearly  gates  and  tread  the  golden  streets  ? 
The  reply  to  these  inquiries  unfolds  the  amazing 
depths  of  redeeming  love  and  the  eternal  efficacy  of 
the  blood  of  the  Lamb.  Deep  as  is  man's  ruin,  the 
love  of  God  is  deeper  still :  black  as  is  his  guilt,  the 
blood  of  Jesus  can  wash  it  all  away:  wide  as  is 
the  chasm  separating  man  from  God,  the  cross  has 
bridged  it.  God  has  come  down  to  the  very 'lowest 
point  of  the  sinner's  condition,  in  order  that  He 
might  lift  him  up  into  a  position  of  infinite  favor,  in 
eternal  association  with  His  own  Son.  Well  may  we 
exclaim,  "Behold,  what  manner  of  love  the  Father 
hath  bestowed  upon  us,  that  we  should  be  called  the 
sons  of  God. "  ( 1  John  iii.  1. )  Nothing  could  fathom 
man's  ruin  but  God's  love,  and  nothing  could  equal 
man's  guilt  but  the  blood  of  Christ.  But  now  the 


276  EXODUS. 

very  depth  of  the  ruin  only  magnifies  the  love  that 
has  fathomed  it,  and  the  intensity  of  the  guilt  only 
celebrates  the  efficacy  of  the  blood  that  can  cleanse 
it.  The  very  vilest  sinner  who  believes  in  Jesus  can 
rejoice  in  the  assurance  that  God  sees  him  and  pro- 
nounces him  "clean  every  whit." 

Such,  then,  is  the  double  character  of  instruction 
to  be  gleaned  from  the  laws  and  ordinances  in  this 
section,  looked  at  as  a  whole ;  and  the  more  mi- 
nutely we  look  at  them  in  detail,  the  more  impressed 
we  shall  be  with  a  sense  of  their  fullness  and  beauty. 
Take,  for  instance,  the  very  first  ordinance  that  pre- 
sents itself,  namely,  that  of  the  Hebrew  servant. 

4 'Now  these  are  the  judgments  which  thou  shalt 
set  before  them  :  If  thou  buy  a  Hebrew  servant,  six 
years  he  shall  serve,  and  in  the  seventh  he  shall  go 
out  free  for  nothing.  If  he  came  in  by  himself,  he 
shall  go  out  by  himself:  if  he  were  married,  then 
his  wife  shall  go  out  with  him.  If  his  master  have 
given  him  a  wife,  and  she  have  borne  him  sons  or 
daughters,  the  wife  and  her  children  shall  be  her 
master's,  and  he  shall  go  out  by  himself.  And  if 
the  servant  shall  plainly  say,  I  love  my  master,  my 
wife,  and  my  children  ;  I  will  n6t  go  out  free  ;  then 
his  master  shall  bring  him  unto  the  judges  :  he  shall 
also  bring  him  to  the  door,  or  unto  the  door-post ; 
and  his  master  shall  bore  his  ear  through  with  an 
awl;  and  he  shall  serve  him  forever."  (Chap.  xxi. 
1-6.)  The  servant  was  perfectly  free  to  go  out,  so 
far  as  he  was  personally  concerned.  He  had  clis- 
discharged  every  claim,  and  could  therefore  walk 


CHAPTERS    XXI-XXIII.  277 

abroad  in  unquestioned  freedom ;  but  because  of 
his  love  to  his  master,  his  wife,  and  his  children,  he 
voluntarily  bound  himself  to  perpetual  servitude ; 
and  not  only  so,  but  he  was  also  willing  to  bear,  in 
his  own  person,  the  marks  of  that  servitude. 

The  application  of  this  to  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ 
will  be  obvious  to  the  intelligent  reader.  In  Him 
we  behold  the  One  who  dwelt  in  the  bosom  of  the 
Father  before  all  worlds — the  object  of  His  eternal 
delight — who  might  have  occupied,  throughout  eter- 
nity, this  His  personal  and  entirely  peculiar  place, 
inasmuch  as  there  lay  upon  Him  no  obligation  (save 
that  which  ineffable  love  created  and  ineffable  love 
incurred)  to  abandon  that  place.  Such,  however, 
was  His  love  to  the  Father,  whose  counsels  were 
involved,  and  for  the  Church  collectively  and  each 
individual  member  thereof,  whose  salvation  was  in- 
volved, that  He  voluntarily  came  down  to  earth, 
emptied  Himself,  and  made  Himself  of  no  reputa- 
tion, took  upon  Him  the  form  of  a  servant  and  the 
marks  of  perpetual  service.  To  these  marks  we 
probably  have  a  striking  allusion  in  the  Psalms. — 
"Mine  ears  hast  Thou  digged."  (Ps.  xl.  G,  marg.) 
This  psalm  is  the  expression  cf  Christ's  devotedness 
to  God.  "Then  said  I,  'Lo,  I  come :  in  the  volume 
of  the  book  it  is  written  of  Me,  I  delight  to  do  Thy 
will,  O  My  God  ;  yea,  Thy  law  is  within  My  heart. ' ' 
He  came  to  do  the  will  of  God,  whatever  that  will 
might  be.  He  never  once  did  His  own  will,  not  even 
in.  the  reception  and  salvation  of  sinners,  though 
surely  His  loving  heart,  with  all  its  affections,  was 
19 


278  EXODUS. 

most  fully  in  that  glorious  work.  Still  He  receives 
and  saves  only  as  the  servant  of  the  Father's  coun- 
sels. "All  that  the  Father  giveth  Me  shall  come  to 
Me ;  and  him  that  cometh  to  Me  I  will  in  no  wise 
cast  out.  For  I  came  down  from  heaven,  not  to  do 
Mine  own  will,  but  the  will  of  Him  that  sent  Me. 
And  this  is  the  Father's  will  which  hath  sent  Me, 
that  of  all  which  He  hath  given  Me  I  should  lose 
nothing,  but  should  raise  it  up  again  at  the  last 
day."  (John  vi.  37-39.) 

Here  we  have  a  most  interesting  view  of  the 
servant- character  of  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ.  He,  in 
perfect  grace,  holds  Himself  responsible  to  receive 
all  who  come  within  the  range  of  the  divine  coun- 
sels ;  and  not  only  to  receive  them,  but  to  preserve 
them  through  all  the  difficulties  and  trials  of  their 
devious  path  down  here, — yea,  in  the  article  of  death 
itself,  should  it  come,  and  to  raise  them  all  up  in  the 
last  day.  Oh,  how  secure  is  the -very  feeblest  mem- 
ber of  the  Church «of  God  !  He  is  the  subject  of 
God's  eternal  counsels,  which  counsels  the  Lord 
Jesus  Christ  is  pledged  to  carry' out.  Jesus  loves 
the  Father,  and  in  proportion  to  the  intensity  of 
that  love  is  the  security  of  each  member  of  the  re- 
deemed family.  The  salvation  of  the  sinner  who 
believes  on  the  name  of  the  Son  of  God  is,  in,  one 
aspect  of  it,  but  the  expression  of  Christ's  love  to 
the  Father.  If  one  such  could  perish,  through  any 
cause  whatsoever,  it  would  argue  that  the  Lord 
Jesus  Christ  was  unable  to  carry  out  the  will  of 
God,  which  were  nothing  short  of  positive  blasphemy 


CHAPTERS    XXI-XXIII.  279 

against  His  sacred  name,  to  whom  be  all  honor  and 
majesty  throughout  the  everlasting  ages. 

Thus  we  have,  in  the  Hebrew  servant,  a  type  of 
Christ  in  His  pure  devotedness  to  the  Father.  But 
there  is  more  than  this.  UI  love  my  wife  and  my 
children."  "Christ  loved  the  Church,  and  gave 
Himself  for  it ;  that  He  might  sanctify  and  cleanse 
it  with  the  washing  of  water  by  the  Word,  that  He 
might  present  it  to  Himself  a  glorious  Church,  not 
having  spot,  or  wrinkle,  or  any  such  thing ;  but  that 
it  should  be  holy  and  without  blemish."  (Eph.  v. 
25-27.)  There  are  various  other  passages  of  Scrip- 
ture presenting  Christ  as  the  antitype  of  the  Hebrew 
servant,  both  in  His  love  for  the  Church  as  a  body, 
and  for  all  believers  personally.  In  Matthew  xiii, 
John  x  and  xiii,  and  Hebrews  ii,  my  reader  will  find 
special  teaching  on  the  point. 

The  apprehension  of  this  love  of  the  heart  of 
Jesus  cannot  fail  to  produce  a  spirit  of  fervent 
devotedness  to  the  One  who  could  exhibit  such 
pure,  such  perfect,  such  disinterested  love.  How 
could  the  wife  and  children  of  the  Hebrew  servant 
fail  to  love  one  who  had  voluntarily  surrendered  his 
liberty  in  order  that  he  and  they  might  be  together? 
And  what  is  the  love  presented  in  the  type,  when 
compared  with  that  which  shines  in  the  antitype  ? 
It  is  as  nothing.  "The  love  of  Christ  passeth 
knowledge."  It  led  Him  to  think  of  us  before  all 
worlds — to  visit  us  in  the  fullness  of  time — to  walk 
deliberately  to  the  door-post — to  suffer  for  us  on  the 
cross,  in  order  that  He  might  raise  us  to  companion- 


280  EXODUS. 

ship  with  Himself  in  His  everlasting  kingdom  and 
glory. 

Were  I  to  enter  into  a  full  exposition  of  the  re- 
maining statutes  and  judgments  of  this  portion  of 
the  book  of  Exodus,  it  would  cany  me  much  further 
than  I  feel,  at  present,  led  to  go.*  I  will  merely 
observe,  in  conclusion,  that  it  is  impossible  to  read 
the  section  and  not  have  the  heart  drawn  out  in 
adoration  of  the  profound  wisdom,  well-balanced 
justice,  and  yet  tender  considerateness  which  breathe 
throughout  the  whole.  We  rise  up  from  the  study  of 
it  with  this  conviction  deeply  wrought  into  the  soul, 
that  the  One  who  speaks  here  is  "the  only  true," 
"the  only  wise,"  and  the  infinitely  gracious  God. 

May  all  our  meditations  on  His  eternal  Word 
have  the  effect  of  prostrating  our  souls  in  worship 
before  Him  whose  perfect  waj^s  and  glorious  attri- 
butes shine  there,  in  all  their  blessedness  and  bright- 
ness, for  the  refreshment,  the  delight,  and  the  edifi- 
cation of  His  blood-bought  people. 


CHAPTEE  XXIV. 

HMHIS  chapter  opens  with  an  expression  remark- 
J-  ably  characteristic  of  the  entire  Mosaic  econ- 
omy. "And  He  said  unto  Moses,  'Come  up  unto 

*I  Avould  here  observe,  once  for  all,  that  the  feasts  referred  to 
in  chapter  xxiii.  14-19,  and  the  offerings  in  chapter  xxix,  being 
brought  out,  in  all  their  fullness  and  detail,  in  the  book  of  Le- 
viticus, I  shall  reserve  them  until  we  come  to  dwell,  upon  the 
contents  of  that  singularly  rich  and  interesting  book. 


CHAPTER    XXIV.  281 

the  Lord,  thou,  and  Aaron,  Nadab,  and  Abitm,  and 
seventy  of  the  elders  of  Israel ;  and  worship 'ye  afar 
off.  ....  they  shall  not  come  ni(jh,  neither  shall 
the  people  go  up  with  him."  We  may  search  from 
end  to  end  of  the  legal  ritual,  and  not  find  those  two 
precious  words,  "draw  nigh.19  Ah,  no  ;  such  words 
could  never  be  heard  from  the  top  cf  Sinai,  nor 
from  amid  the  shadows  of  the  law.  They  could 
only  be  uttered  at  heaven's  side  of  the  empty  tomb 
of  Jesus,  where  the  blood  of  the  cross  has  opened  a 
perfectly  cloudless  prospect  to  the  vision  of  faith. 
The  words,  "afar  off,"  are  as  characteristic  of  the 
law  as  "draw  nigh"  are  of  the  gospel.  Under  the 
law,  the  work  was  never  done  which  could  entitle 
a  sinner  to  draw  nigh.  Man  had  not  fulfilled  his 
promised  obedience;  and  the  "blood  of  calves  and 
goats"  could  not  atone  for  the  failure,  or  give  his 
guilty  conscience  peace.  Hence,  therefore,  he  had 
to  stand  "afar  off."  Man's  vows  were  broken  and 
his  sin  unpurged ;  how,  then,  could  he  draw  nigh? 
The  blood  of  ten  thousand  bullocks  could  not  wipe 
away  one  stain  from  the  conscience,  or  give  the 
peaceful  sense  of  nearness  as  being  reconciled  to 
God. 

However,  the  "first  covenant"  is  here  dedicated 
with  blood.  An  altar  is  erected  at  the  foot  of  the 
hill,  with  "twelve  pillars,  according  to  the  twelve 
tribes  of  Israel."  "And  he  sent  young  men  of  the 
children  of  Israel,  which  offered  burnt-offerings,  and 
sacrificed  peace-offerings  of  oxen  unto  the  Lord. 
And  Moses  took  half  of  the  blood,  and  put  it  in 


282  EXODUS. 

basins ;  and  half  of  the  blood  he  sprinkled  on  the 

altar And  Moses  took  the  blood,  and 

sprinkled  it  on  the  people,  and  said,  'Behold  the 
blood  of  the  covenant,  which  the  Lord  hath  made 
with  you  concerning  all  these  words.'  '  Although, 
as  the  apostle  teaches  us,  it  was  "impossible  that 
the  blood  of  bulls  and  goats  could  take  away  sin," 
yet  did  it  "sanctify  to  the  purifying  of  the  flesh," 
and,  as  "a  shadow  of  good  things  to  come,"  it 
availed  to  maintain  the  people  in  relationship  with 
Jehovah. 

"Then  went  up  Moses,  and  Aaron,  Nadab,  and 
Abihu,  and  seventy  of  the  elders  of  Israel ;  and 
they  saw  the  God  of  Israel :  and  there  was  under 
His  feet  as  it  were  a  paved  work  of  a  sapphire  stone, 
and  as  it  were  the  body  of  heaven. in  clearness. 
And  upon  the  nobles  of  the  children  of  Israel  He 
laid  not  His  hand :  also  they  saw  God  and  did  eat 
and  drink."  This  was  the  manifestation  of  "the 
God  of  Israel,"  in  light  and  purity,  majesty  and 
holiness.  It  was  not  the  unfolding  of  the  affections 
of  a  Father's  bosom,  or  the  sweet  accents  of  a 
Father's  voice,  breathing  peace  and  inspiring  confi- 
dence into  the  heart.  No;  the  "paved  work  of  a 
sapphire  stone"  told  out  that  unapproachable  purity 
and  light  which  could  only  tell  a  sinner  to  keep  off. 
Still,  "they  saw  God  and  did  eat  and  drink." 
Touching  proof  of  divine  forbearance  and  mercy, 
as  also  of  the  power  of  the  blood  ! 

Looking  at  this  entire  scene  as  a  mere  illustration, 
there  is  much  to  interest  the  heart.  There  is  the  de- 


CHAPTER    XXIV.  283 

filed  camp  below  and  the  sapphire  pavement  above; 
but  the  altar,  at  the  foot  of  the  hill,  tells  us  of  that 
way  by  which  the  sinner  can  make  his  escape  from 
the  defilement  of  his  own  condition,  and  mount  up 
to  the  presence  of  God,  there  to  feast  and  worship 
in  perfect  peace.  The  blood  which  flowed  around 
the  altar  furnished  man's  only  title  to  stand  in  the 
presence  of  that  glory  which  "was  like  a  devouring 
fire  on  the  top  of  the  mount  in  the  eyes  of  the 
children  of  Israel." 

"And  Moses  went  into  the  midst  of  the  cloud, 
and  gat  him  up  into  the  mount ;  and  Moses  was  in 
the  mount  forty  days  and  forty  nights."  This  was 
truly  a  high  and  holy  position  for  Moses.  He  was 
called  away  from  earth  and  earthly  things.  Ab- 
stracted from  natural  influences,  he  is  shut  in  with 
God,  to  hear  from  His  mouth  the  deep  mysteries  of 
the  Person  and  work  of  Christ ;  for  such,  in  point 
of  fact,  we  have  unfolded  in  the  tabernacle  and  all 
its  significant  furniture — "the  patterns  of  things  in 
the  heavens."  The  blessed  One  knew  full  well  what 
was  about  to  be  the  end  of  man's  covenant  of 
works ;  but  He  unfolds  to  Moses,  in  types  and 
shadows,  His  own  precious  thoughts  of  love  and 
counsels  of  grace,  manifested  in,  and  secured  by, 
Christ. 

Blessed  for  evermore  be  the  grace  which  has  not 
left  us  under  a  covenant  of  works.  Blessed  be  He 
who  has  "hushed  the  law's  loud  thunders  and 
quenched  mount  Sinai's  flame"  by  "the  blood  of 
the  everlasting  covenant,"  and  given  us  a  peace 


284  EXODUS. 

which  no  power  of  earth  or  hell  can  shake.  "Unto 
Him  that  loved  us,  and  washed  us  from  our  sins  in 
His  own  blood,  and  hath  made  us  kings  and  priests 
unto  God  and  His  Father ;  to  Him  be  glory  and 
dominion  forever  and  ever.  Amen." 


CHAPTER  XXY. 

THIS  chapter  forms  the  commencement  of  one  of 
the  richest  veins  in  Inspiration's  exhaustless 
mine — a  vein  in  which  every  stroke  of  the  mattock 
brings  to  light  untold  wealth.  "We  know  the  mattock 
with  which  alone  we  can  work  in  such  a  mine, 
namely,  the  distinct  ministry  of  the  Holy  Ghost. 
Nature  can  do  nothing  here.  Reason  is  blind,  im- 
agination utterly  vain ;  the  most  gigantic  intellect, 
instead  of  being  able  to  interpret  the  sacred  sym- 
bols, appears  like  a  bat  in  the  sunshine,  blindly 
dashing  itself  against  the  objects  which  it  is  utterly 
unable  to  discern.  We  must  compel  reason  and 
imagination  to  stand  without,  while,  with  a  chas- 
tened heart,  a  single  eye,  and  a  spiritual  mind,  we 
enter  the  hallowed  precincts  and  gaze  upon  the 
deeply  significant  furniture.  God  the  Holy  Ghost 
is  the  only  One  who  can  conduct  us  through  the 
courts  of  the  Lord's  house,  and  expound  to  our 
souls  the  true  meaning  of  all  that  there  meets  our 
view.  To  attempt  the  exposition  by  the  aid  of 
intellect's  unsanctified  powers,  would  be  infinitely 
more  absurd  than  to  set  about  the  repairs  of  a  watch 


CHAPTER    XXV.  285 

with  a  blacksmith's  tongs  and  hammer.  "The  pat- 
tern of  things  in  the  heavens  "  cannot  be  interpreted 
by  the  natural  mind,  in  its  most  cultivated  form. 
They  must  all  be  read  in  the  light  of  heaven :  earth 
has  no  light  which  could  at  all  develop  their  beauties. 
The  One  who  furnished  the  patterns  can  alone  ex- 
plain what  the  patterns  mean, — the  One  who  fur- 
nished the  beauteous  symbols  can  alone  interpret 
them. 

To  the  human  eye  there  would  seem  to  be  a  des- 
ultoriness  in  the  mode  in  which  the  Holy  Ghost  has 
presented  the  furniture  of  the  tabernacle;  but. in 
reality,  as  might  be  expected,  there  is  the  most 
perfect  order,  the  most  remarkable  precision,  the 
most  studious  accuracy.  From  chapter  xxv.  to 
chapter  xxx.  inclusive,  we  have  a  distinct  section  of 
the  book  of  Exodus.  This  section  is  divided  into 
two  parts,  the  first  terminating  at  chapter  xxvii.  19, 
and  the  second  at  the  close  of  chapter  xxx.  The 
former  begins  with  the  ark  of  the  covenant,  inside 
the  vail,  and  ends  with  the  brazen  altar  and  the 
court  in  which  that  altar  stood.  That  is,  it  gives  us, 
in  the  first  place,  Jehovah's  throne  of  judgment, 
whereon  He  sat  as  Lord  of  all  the  earth;  and  it 
conducts  us  to  that  place  where  He  met  the  sinner, 
in  the  credit  and  virtue  of  accomplished  atonement. 
Then,  in  the  latter,  we  have  the  mode  of  man's 
approach  to  God — the  privileges,  dignities,  and  re- 
sponsibilities of  those  who,  as  priests,  were  permitted 
to  draw  nigh  to  the  Divine  Presence  and  enjoy  wor- 
ship and  communion  there.  Thus  the  arrangement 


286  EXODUS. 

is  perfect  and  beautiful.  How  could  it  be  otherwise, 
seeing  that  it  is  divine  ?  The  ark  and  the  brazen 
altar  present,  as  it  were,  two  extremes.  The  former 
was  the  throne  of  God  established  in  ''justice  and 
judgment"  (Ps.  Ixxxix.  14.);  the  latter  was  the 
place  of  approach  for  the  sinner  where  "mercy  and 
truth"  went  before  Jehovah's  face.  Man,  in  him- 
self, dared  not  to  approach  the  ark  to  meet  God,  for 
' '  the  way  into  the  holiest  of  all  was  not  yet  made 
manifest"  (Heb.  ix.  8.);  but  God  could  approach 
the  altar  of  brass,  to  meet  man  as  a  sinner.  "Justice 
and  judgment"  could  not  admit  the  sinner  inrbut 
' '  mercy  and  truth ' '  could  bring  God  out ;  not,  in- 
deed, in  that  overwhelming  brightness  and  majesty 
in  which  He  was  wont  to  shine  forth  from  between 
those  mystic  supporters  of  His  throne — "the  cheru- 
bim of  glory,"  but  in  that  gracious  ministry  which 
is  symbolically  presented  to  us  in  the  furniture  and 
ordinances  of  the  tabernacle. 

All  this  may  well  remind  us  of  the  path  trodden 
by  that  blessed  One  who  is  the  antitype  of  all  these 
types — the  substance  of  all  these  shadows.  He 
traveled  from  the  eternal  throne  of  God  in  heaven, 
down  to  the  depth's  of  Calvary's  cross.  He  came 
from  all  the  glory  of  the  former,  down  into  all  tne 
shame  of  the  latter,  in  order  that  He  might  conduct 
His  redeemed,  forgiven,  and  accepted  people  back 
with  Himself,  and  present  them  faultless  before  that 
very  throne  which  He  had  left  on  their  account. 
The  Lord  Jesus  fills  up,  in  His  own  Person  and 
work,  every  point  between  the  throne  of  God  and 


CHAPTER    XXV.  287 

the  dust  of  death,  and  every  point  between  the  dust 
of  death  and  the  throne  of  God.  In  Him,  God  has 
come  down,  in  perfect  grace,  to  the  sinner  ;  in  Him, 
the  sinner  is  brought  up,  in  perfect  righteousness,  to 
God.  All  the  way  from  the  ark  to  the  brazen  altar 
was  marked  with  the  footprints  of  love,  and  all  the 
way  from  the  brazen  altar  to  the  ark  of  God  was 
sprinkled  with  the  blood  of  atonement ;  and  as  the 
ransomed  worshiper  passes  along  that  wondrous 
path,  he  beholds  the  name  of  Jesus  stamped  on  all 
that  meets  his  view.  May  that  name  be  dearer  to 
our  hearts  !  Let  us  now  proceed  to  examine  the 
chapters  consecutively. 

It  is  most  interesting  to  note  here  that  the  first 
thing  which  the  Lord  communicates  to  Moses  is  His 
gracious  purpose  to  have  a  sanctuary,  or  holy  dwell- 
ing-place, in  the  midst  of  His  people — a  sanctuary 
composed  of  materials  which  directly  point  to  Christ*, 
His  Person,  His  work,  and  the  precious  fruit  of  that 
work,  as  seen  in  the  light,  the  power,  and  the  varied 
graces  of  the  Holy  Ghost.  Moreover,  these  mate- 
rials were  the  fragrant  fruit  of  the  grace  of  God — 
the  voluntary  offerings  of  devoted  hearts.  Jehovah, 
whose  majesty  "the  heaven,  of  heavens  could  not 
contain,"  was  graciously  pleased  to  dwell  in  a 
boarded  and  curtained  tent  erected  for  Him  by 
those  who  cherished  the  fond  desire  to  hail  His 
presence  amongst  them.  This  tabernacle  may  be 
viewed  in  two  ways:  first,  as  furnishing  "a  pattern 
of  things  in  the  heavens,"  and  secondly,  as  present- 
ing a  deeply  significant  type  of  the  body  of  Christ. 


288  EXODUS. 

The  various  materials  of  which  the  tabernacle  was 
composed  will  come  before  us  as  we  pass  along ;  we 
shall  therefore  consider  the  three  comprehensive 
subjects  put  before  us  in.  this  chapter,  namely,  the 
ark,  the  table,  and  the  candlestick. 

The  ark  of  the  covenant  occupies  the  leading  place 
in  the  divine  communications  to  Moses.  Its  posi- 
tion, too,  in  the  tabernacle  was  most  marked.  Shut 
in  within  the  vail,  in  the  holiest  of  all,  it  formed  the 
base  of  Jehovah's  throne.  Its  very  name  conveys 
to  the  mind  its  import.  An  ark,  so  far  as  the  Word 
instructs  us,  is  designed  to  preserve  intact  whatever 
is  put  therein.  An  ark  carried  Noah  and  his  family, 
together  with  all  the  orders  of  creation,  in  safety 
over  the  billows  of  judgment  which  covered  the 
earth:  an  ark,  at  the  opening  of  this  book,  was 
faith's  vessel  for  preserving  "a  proper  child"  from 
the  waters  of  death.  When,  therefore,  we  read  of 
"the  ark  of  the  covenant,"  we  are  led  to  believe 
that  it  was  designed  of  God  to  preserve  His  cove- 
nant unbroken  in  the  midst  of  an  erring  people. 
In  it,  as  we  know,  the  second  set  of  tables  were 
deposited.  As  to  the  first  set,  they  were  broken 
in  pieces  beneath  the  mount,  showing  that  man's 
covenant  was  wholly  abolished — that  his  work  could 
never,  by  any  possibility,  form  the  basis  of  Jeho- 
vah's throne  of  government.  "Justice  and  judg- 
ment are  the  habitation  of  that  throne,"  whether  in 
its  earthly  or  heavenly  aspect.  The  ark  could  not 
contain  within  its  hallowed  inclosure  broken"  tables. 
Man  might  fail  to  fulfill  his  self-chosen  vow,  but 


CHAPTER    XXV.  289 

God's  la^-  must  be  preserved  in  its  divine  integrity 
and  perfectness.  If  God  was  to  set  up  His  throne 
in  the  midst  of  His  people,  He  could  only  d*o  so  in 
a  way  worthy  of  Himself.  His  standard  of  judg- 
ment and  government  must  be  perfect. 

"And  thou  shalt  make  staves  of  shittim  wood, 
and  overlay  them  with  gold.  And  thou  shalt  put 
the  staves  into  the  rings  by  the  sides  of  the  ark, 
that  the  ark  may  be  borne  with  them."  The  ark  of 
the  covenant  was  to  accompany  the  people  in  all 
their  wanderings.  It  never  rested  while  they  were 
a  traveling  or  a  conflicting  host;  it  moved  from 
place  to  place  in  the  wilderness ;  it  went  before  them 
into  the  midst  of  Jordan  ;  it  was  their  grand  rally- 
ing-point  in  all  the  wars  of  Canaan  ;  it  was  the  sure 
and  certain  earnest  of  power  wherever  it  went. 
No  power  of  the  enemy  could  stand  before  that 
which  was  the  well-known  expression  of  the  divine 
presence  and  power.  The  ark  was  to  be  Israel's 
companion-in- travel  in  the  desert,  and  "the  staves" 
and  "the  rings"  were  the  apt  expression  of  its 
traveling  character. 

However,  it  was  not  always  to  be  a  traveler. 
"The  afflictions  of  David,"  as  well  as  the  wars  of 
Israel,  were  to  have  an  end.  The  prayer  was  yet  to 
be  breathed  and  answered,  "Arise,  O  Lord,  into 
Thy  rest:  Thou  and  the  ark  of  Thy  strength."  (Ps. 
cxxxii.  8.)  This  most  sublime  petition  had  its  par- 
tial accomplishment  in  the  palmy  days  of  Solomon, 
when  c '  the  priests  brought  in  the  ark  of  the  covenant 
of  the  Lord  .unto  his  place,  into  the  oracle  of  the 


290  EXODUS. 

house,  to  the  most  holy  place,  even  under  the  wings 
of  the  cherubim.  For  the  cherubim  spread  forth 
their  two  wings  over  the  place  of  the  ark,  and  the 
cherubim  covered  the  ark  and  the  staves  thereof 
above.  And  they  drew  out  the  staves,  that  the  ends 
of  the  staves  were  seen  out  in  the  holy  place  before 
the  oracle,  and  they  were  not  seen  without:  and 
there  they  are  unto  this  day."  (1  Kings  viii.  6-8.) 
The  sand  of  the  desert  was  to  be  exchanged  for  the 
golden  floor  of  the  temple.  (1  Kings  vi.  30.)  The 
wanderings  of  the  ark  were  to  have  an  end :  there 
was  "neither  enemy  nor  evil  occurrent,"  and  there- 
fore "the  staves  were  drawn  out." 

Nor  was  this  the  only  difference  between  the  ark 
in  the  tabernacle  and  in  the  temple.  The  apostle, 
speaking  of  the  ark  in  its  wilderness  habitation, 
describes  it  as  "the  ark  of  the  covenant,  overlaid 
round  about  with  gold,  wherein  was  the  golden  pot 
that  had  manna,  and  Aaron's  rod  that  budded,  and 
the  tables  of  the  covenant."  (Heb.  ix.  4.)  Such 
were  the  contents  of  the  ark  in  its  wilderness  jour- 
neyings — the  pot  of  manna,  the  record  of  Jehovah's 
faithfulness  in  providing  for  His  redeemed  in  the 
desert,  and  Aaron's  rod,  "a  token  against  the 
rebels,"  to  "take  away  their  murmurings."  (Com- 
pare Exod.  xvi.  32-34,  and  Numb.  xvii.  10.)  But 
when  the  moment  arrived  in  which  "the  staves" 
were  to  be  "drawn  out,"  when  the  wanderings  and 
wars  of  Israel  were  over,  when  the  ' '  exceeding  mag- 
nificial"  house  was  completed,  when  the  sun  of  Is- 
rael's glory  had  reached,  in  type,  its  meridian,  as 


CHAPTER    XXV.  291 

marked  by  the  wealth  and  splendor  of  Solomon's 
reign,  then  the  records  of  wilderness  need  and  wil- 

O       7 

derness  failure  were  unnoticed,  and  nothing  remained 
save  that  which  constituted  the  eternal  foundation  of 
the  throne  of  the  God  of  Israel,  and  of  all  the  earth. ' 
"  There  ivas  nothing  in  the  ark  save  the  two  tables  of 
stone,  which  Moses  put  there  at  Horeb."  (1  Kings 
viii.  9.) 

But  all  this  brightness  was  soon  to  be  overcast  by 
the  heavy  clouds  of  human  failure  and  divine  dis- 
pleasure. The  rude  foot  of  the  uncircumcised  was 
yet  to  walk  across  the  ruins  of  that  beautiful  house, 
and  its  faded  light  and  departed  glory  was  yet  to 
elicit  the  contemptuous  "hiss"  of  the  stranger. 
This  would  not-  be  the  place  to  follow  out  these 
things  in  detail ;  I  shall  only  refer  my  reader  to  the 
last  notice  which  the  Word  of  God  affords  us  of 
"the  ark  of  the  covenant," — a  notice  which  carries 
us  forward  to  a  time  when  human  folly  and  sin  shall 
no  more  disturb  the  resting-place  of  that  ark,  and 
when  neither  a  curtained  tent  nor  yet  a  temple  made 
with  hands  shall  contain  it.  "And  the  seventh  angel 
sounded  ;  and  there  were  great  voices  in  heaven,  say- 
ing, 'The  kingdoms  of  this  world  are  become  the 
kingdoms  of  our  Lord,  and  of  His  Christ ;  and  He 
shall  reign  forever  and  ever.'  And  the  four  and 
twenty  elders,  which  sat  before  God  on  their  seats, 
fell  upon  their  faces,  and  worshiped  God,  saying, 
'  We  give  Thee  thanks,  O  Lord  God  Almighty,  which 
art,  and  wast,  and  art  to  come  ;  because  Thou  hast 
taken  to  Thee  Thy  great  power,  and  hast  reigned. 


292  EXODUS. 

And  the  nations  were  angry,  arid  Thy  wrath  is  come, 
and  the  time  of  t-he  dead,  that  they  should  be  j  udged, 
and  that  Thou  shouldest  give  reward  unto  Thy  serv- 
ants the  prophets,  and  to  the  saints,  and  them  that 
fear  Thy  name,  small  and  great ;  and  shouldest  de- 
stroy them  which  destroy  the  earth.'  And  the  tem- 
ple of  God  was  open  in  heaven,  and  there  was  seen 
in  His  temple  the  ark  of  His  covenant :  and  there 
were  lightnings,  and  voices,  and  thunderings,  and 
an  earthquake,  and  great  hail."  (Rev.  xi.  15-19.) 

The  mercy-seat  comes  next  in  order. — "And  thou 
shalt  make  a  mercy-seat  of  pure  gold ;  two  cubits 
and  a  half  shall  be  the  length  thereof,  and  a  cubit 
and  a  half  the  breadth  thereof.  And  thou  shalt 
make  two  cherubim  of  gold,  of  beaten  work  shalt 
thou  make  them,  in  the  two  ends  of  the  mercy-seat. 
And  make  one  cherub  on  the  one  end,  and  the  other 
cherub  on  the  other  end ;  even  of  the  mercy-seat 
shall  ye  make  the  cherubim  on  the  two  ends  thereof. 
And  the  cherubim  shall  stretch  forth  their  wings  on 
high,  covering  the  mercy-seat  with  their  wings,  and 
their  faces  shall  look  one  to  another ;  toward  the 
mercy-seat  shall  the  faces  of  the  cherubim  be.  And 
thou  shalt  put  the  mercy-seat  above  upon  the  ark ; 
and  in  the  ark  shalt  thou  put  the  testimony  that  I 
shall  give  thee.  And  there  I  will  meet  with  thee', 
and  I  will  commune  with  thee  from  above  the  mercy- 
seat,  from  between  the  two  cherubim  which  are  upon 
the  ark  of  the  testimony,  of  all  things  which  I  will 
give  thee  in  commandment  unto  the  children  cf 
Israel. ' ' 


CHAPTER    XXV.  293 

Here  Jehovah  gives  utterance  to  His  gracious 
intention  of  coming  down  from  the  fiery  mount  to 
take.  His  place  upon  the  mercy-seat.  This  He  could 
do,  inasmuch  as  the  tables  of  testimony  were  pre- 
served unbroken  beneath,  and  the  symbols  of  His 
power,  whether  in  creation  or  providence,  rose  on 
the  right  hand  and  on  the  left — the  inseparable  ad- 
juncts of  that  throne  on  which  Jehovah  had  seated 
Himself — a  throne  of  grace  founded  upon  divine 
righteousness  and  supported  by  justice  and  judg- 
ment. Here  the  glory  of  the  God  of  Israel  shone 
forth.  From  hence  He  issued  His  commands,  soft- 
ened and  sweetened  by  the  gracious  source  from 
whence  they  emanated,  and  the  medium  through 
which  they  came — like  the  beams  of  the  mid-day 
sun,  passing  through  a  cloud,  we  can  enjoy  their 
genial  and  enlivening  influence  without  being  daz- 
zled by  their  brightness.  "His  commandments  are 
not  grievous,"  when  received  from  off  the  mercy- 
seat,  because  they  come  in  connection  with  grace, 
which  gives  the  ears  to  hear  and  the  power  to  obe}7. 

Looking  at  the  ark  and  mercy-seat  together,  we 
may  see  in  them  a  striking  figure  of  Christ  in  His 
Person  and  work.  He  having,  in  His  life,  magnified 
the  law  and  made  it  honorable,  became,  through 
death,  a  propitiation  (or  mercy-seat)  for  every  one 
that  believeth.  God's  mercy  could  only  repose  on 
a  pedestal  of  perfect  righteousness'.  "Grace  reigns 
through  righteousness  unto  eternal  life  by  Jesus 
Christ  our  Lord."  (Rom.  v.  21.)  The  only  proper 
meeting-place  between  God  and  man  is  the  point 
20 


294  EXODUS. 

where  grace  and  righteousness  meet  and  perfectly 
harmonize.  Nothing  but  perfect  righteousness  could 
suit  God,  and  nothing  but  perfect  grace  could  suit 
the  sinner.  But  where  could  these  attributes  meet 
in  one  point?  Only  in  the  cross.  There  it  is  that 
"mercy  and  truth  are  met  together;  righteousness 
and  peace  have  kissed  each  other/'  (Ps.  Ixxxv.  10.) 
Thus  it  is  that  the  soul  of  the  believing  sinner  finds 
peace.  He  sees  that  God's  righteousness  and  his 
justification  rest  upon  precisely  the  same  basis, 
namely,  Christ's  accomplished  work.  When  man, 
under  the  powerful  action  of  the  truth  of  God,  takes 
his  place  as  a  sinner,  God  can,  in  the  exercise  of 
grace,  take  His  place  as  a  Saviour,  and  then  every 
question  is  settled,  for  the  cross  having  answered  all 
the  claims  of  divine  justice,  mercy's  copious  streams 
can  flow  unhindered.  When  a  righteous  God  and  a 
ruined  sinner  meet  on  a  blood-sprinkled  platform, 
all  is  settled  forever — settled  in  such  a  way  as  per- 
fectly glorifies  God,  and  eternally  saves  the  sinner. 
God  must  be  true,  though  every  man  be  proved  a 
liar  ;  and  when  man  is  so  thoroughly  brought  down 
to  the  lowest  point  of  his  own  moral  condition  before 
God  as  to  be  willing  to  take  the  place  which  God's 
truth  assigns  him,  he  then  learns  that  God  has  re- 
vealed Himself  as  the  righteous  Justifier  of  such  an 
one.  This  must  give  settled  peace  to  the  conscience  ; 
and  not  only  so,  but  impart  a  capacity  to  commune 
with  God,  and  hearken  to  His  holy  precepts,  in  the 
intelligence  of  that  relationship  into  which  divine 
grace  has  introduced  us. 


CHAPTER    XXV.  295 

Hence,  therefore,  uthe  holiest  of  all"  unfolds  a 
truly  wondrous  scene. — The  ark,  the  mercy-seat, 
the  cherubim,  the  glory  !  What  a  sight  for  the 
high-priest  of  Israel  to  behold  as,  once  a  year,  he 
went  in  within  the  vail  !  May  the  Spirit  of  God 
open  the  eyes  of  our  understanding,  that  we  may 
understand  more  fully  the  deep  meaning  of  those 
precious  types. 

Moses  is  next  instructed  about  "the  table  of 
show-bread,"  or  bread  of  presentation.  On  this 
table  stood  the  food  of  the  priests  of  God.  For 
seven  days  those  twelve  loaves  of  "fine  flour  with 
frankincense"  were  presented  before  the  Lord,  after 
which,  being  replaced  by  others,  they  became  the 
food  of  ttie.  priests,  who  fed  upon  them  in  the  holy 
place.  (See  Lev.  xxiv.  5-9.)  It  is  needless  to  say 
that  those  twelve  loaves  typify  "the  Man  Christ 
Jesus."  The  "fine  flour,"  of  which  they  were 
composed,  marks  His  perfect  manhood,  while  the 
"frankincense"  points  out  the  entire  devotion  of 
that  manhood  to  God.  If  God  has  His  priests 
ministering  in  the  holy  place,  He  will  assuredly  have 
a  table  for  them,  and  a  well-furnished  table  too. 
Christ  is  the  table,  and  Christ  is  the  bread  thereon. 
The  pure  table  and  the  twelve  loaves  shadow  forth 
Christ  as  presented  before  God  unceasingly  in  all 
the  excellency  of  His  spotless  humanity,  and  ad- 
ministered as  food  to  the  priestly  family.  The 
"seven  days"  set  forth  the  perfection  of  the  divine 
enjoyment  of  Christ,  and  the  "twelve  loaves"  the 
administration  of  that  enjoyment  in  and  by  man. 


296  EXODUS. 

There  is  also,  I  should  venture  to  suggest,  the  idea 
of  Christ's  connection  with  the  twelve  tribes  of 
Israel,  and  the  twelve  apostles  of  the  Lamb. 

The  candlestick  of  pure  gold  comes  next  in  order, 
for  God's  priests  need  light  as  well  as  food;  and 
they  have  both  the  one  and  the  other  in  Christ.  In 
this  candlestick  there  is  no  mention  of  any  thing 
but  pure  gold. — "All  of  it  shall  be  one  beaten  work 
of  pure  gold."  "The  seven  lamps"  which  "gave 
light  over  against  the  candlestick  "express  the  per- 
fection of  the  light  and  energy  of  the  Spirit,  founded 
upon  and  connected  with  the  perfect  efficacy  of  the 
work  of  Christ.  The  work  of  the  Holy  Ghost  can 
never  be  separated  from  the  work  of  Christ.  This 
is  set  forth  in  a  double  way  in  this  beautiful  figure 
of  the  golden"  candlestick.  "The  seven  lamps"  be- 
ing connected  with  "the  shaft"  of  "beaten  gold," 
points  us  to  Christ's  finished  work  as  the  sole  basis 
of  the  manifestation  of  the  Spirit  in  the  Church. 
The  Holy  Ghost  was  not  given  until  Jesus  was 
glorified.  (Comp.  John  vii.  39  with  Acts  xix.  2-6.) 
In  the  third  chapter  of  Revelation,  Christ  is  pre- 
sented to  the  Church  in  Sardis  as  "having  the  seven 
Spirits."  It  was  as  "exalted  to  the  right  hand  of 
God"  that  the  Lord  Jesus  "shed  forth"  the  Holy 
Ghost  upon  His  Church,  in  order  that  she  might 
shine,  according  to  the  power  and  perfection  of  her 
position,  in  the  holy  place,  her  proper  sphere  of 
being,  of  action,  and  of  worship. 

Then,  again,  we  find  it  was  one  of  Aaron's  specific 
functions  to  light  and  trim  those  seven  lamps. — 


CHAPTER    XXV.  S2\)7 

"And  the  Lord  spake  unto  Moses,  saying,  'Com- 
mand the  children  of  Israel  that  they  bring  unto 
thee  pure  oil  olive  beaten  for  the  light,  to  cause  the 
lamps  to  burn  continually.  Without  the  vail  of  the 
testimon}',  in  the  tabernacle  of  the  congregation, 
shall  Aaron  order  it  from  the  evening  unto  the 
morning  before  the  Lord  continually :  it  shall  be  a 
statute  forever  in  your  generations.  He  shall  order 
the  lamps  upon  the  pure  candlestick  before  the  Lord 
continually."  (Lev.  xxiv.  1-4.)  Thus  we  may  see 
how  the  work  of  the  Holy  Ghost  in  the  Church  is 
linked  with  Christ's  work  on  earth  and  His  work  in 
heaven.  "The  seven  lamps"  were  there,  no  doubt ; 
but  priestly  energy  and  diligence  were  needed  in 
order  to  keep  them  trimmed  and  lighted.  The  priest 
would  continually  need  "the  tongs  and  snuff-dishes" 
for  the  purpose  of  removing  aught  that  would  not 
be  a  fit  vehicle  for  the  "pure  beaten  oil."  Those 
tongs  and  snuff-dishes  were  of  "beaten  gold"  like- 
wise, for  the  whole  matter  was  the  direct  result  of 
divine  operation.  If  the  Church  shine,  it  is  only  by 
the  energy  of  the  Spirit,  and  that  energy  is  founded 
upon  Christ,  who,  in  pursuance  of  God's  eternal 
counsel,  became,  in  His  sacrifice  and  priesthood, 
the  spring  and  power  of  every  thing  to  His  Church. 
All  is  of  God.  Whether  we  look  within  that  mys- 
terious vail,  and  behold  the  ark  with  its  cover,  and 
the  two  significant  figures  attached  thereto ;  or  if 
we  gaze  on  that  which  lay  without  the  vail — the  pure 
table  and  the  pure  candlestick,  with  their  distinctive 
vessels  and  instruments — all  speak  to  us  of  God, 


298  EXODUS. 

whether  as  revealed  to  us  in  connection  with  the 
Son  or  the  Holy  Ghost. 

Christian  reader,  your  high  calling  places  3*011  in 
the  very  midst  of  all  these  precious  realities.  Yow 
place  is  not  merely  amid  "the  patterns  of  things  in 
the  heavens,"  but  amid  "the  heavenly  things  them- 
selves." You  have  "boldness  to  enter  into  the 
holiest  by  the  blood  of  Jesus;"  you  are  a  priest 
unto  God ;  "the  showbread"  is  yours  ;  your  place 
is  at  "the  pure  table,"  to  feed  on  the  priestly  food, 
in  the  light  of  the  Holy  Ghost.  Nothing  can  ever 
deprive  you  of  those  divine  privileges, — they  are 
yours  forever.  Let  it  be  your  care  to  watch  against 
every  thing  that  might  rob  3^011  of  the  enjoyment  of 
them.  Beware  of  all  unhallowed  tempers,  lusts, 
feelings,  and  imaginations.  Keep  nature  down; 
keep  the  world  out ;  keep  Satan  off.  May  the  Holy 
Ghost  fill  your  whole  soul  with  Christ.  Then  you 
will  be  practically  holy  and  abidingly  happy, — you 
will  bear  fruit,  and  the  Father  will  be  glorified,  and 
your  joy  shall  be  full. 


CHAPTER  XXVI. 

THE  section  of  our  book  which  now  opens  before 
us  contains  the  instructive  description  of  the 
curtains  and  coverings  of  the  tabernacle,  wherein 
the  spiritual  eye  discerns  the  shadows  of  the  various 
features  and  phases  of  Christ's  manifested  character. 
' ;  Moreover,  thou  shalt  make  the  tabernacle  with  ten 


CHAPTER    XXVI.  299 

curtains  of  fine  twined  linen,  and  blue,  and  purple, 
and  scarlet:  with  cherubim  of  cunning  work  shalt 
thou  make  them."  Here  we  have  the  different  as- 
pects of  ' c  the  Man  Christ  Jesus. ' '  The  c '  fine  twined 
linen"  prefigures  the  spotless  purity  of  His  walk 
and  character;  while  the  "blue,  the  purple,  and  the 
scarlet"  present  Him  to  us  as  "the  Lord  from 
heaven,"  who  is  to  reign  according  to  the  divine 
counsels,  but  whose  royalty  is  to  be  the  result  of 
His  sufferings.  Thus  we  have  a  spotless  Man,  a 
heavenly  Man,  a  royal  Man,  a  suffering  Man.  These 
materials  were  not  confined  to  the  "  curtains"  of  the 
tabernacle,  but  were  also  used  in  making  "  the  vail" 
(ver.  31),  "the  hanging  for  the  door  of  the  tent" 
(ver.  3G),  "the  hanging  for  the  gate  of  the  court" 
(chap,  xxvii.  16),  "the  cloths  of  service  and  the 
holy  garments  of  Aaron"  (chap,  xxxix.  1)..  In  a 
word,  it  was  Christ  everywhere,  Christ  in  all,  Christ 
alone.* 

The  "fine  twined  linen,"  as  expressive  of  Christ's 
spotless  manhood,  opens  a  most  precious  and  copious 
spring  of  thought  to  the  spiritual  mind  ;  it  furnishes 
a  theme  on  which  we' cannot  meditate  too  profoundly. 
The  truth  respecting  Christ's  humanity  must  be  re- 
ceived with  scriptural  accuracy >  held  with  spiritual 
energy,  guarded  with  holy  jealousy,  and  confessed 
with  heavenly  power.  If  we  are  wrong  as  to  this, 
we  cannot  be  right  as  to  any  thing.  It  is  a  grand, 

*The  expression,  "white  and  clean,"  gives  peculiar  force  and 
beauty  to  the  type  which  the  Holy  Ghost  has  presented  in  the 
"  lino  twined  linen."  Indeed,  there  could  not  be  a  more  appro- 
priate emblem  of  spotless  manhood. 


300  EXODUS. 

vital,  fundamental  truth ;  and  if  it  be  not  received, 
held,  guarded,  and  confessed  as  God  has  revealed  it 
in  His  holy  Word,  the  entire  superstructure  must  be 
unsound.  Nothing  can  be  more  deplorable  than  the 
looseness  of  thought  and  expression  which  seems  to 
prevail  in  reference  to  this  all-important  doctrine. 
Were  there  more  reverence  for  the  Word  of  God, 
there  would  be  more  accurate  acquaintance  with  it ; 
and,  in  this  way,  we  should  happily  avoid  all  those 
erroneous  and  unguarded  statements  which  surely 
must  grieve  the  Holy  Spirit  of  God,  whose  province 
it  is  to  testify  of  Jesus. 

When  the  angel  had  announced  to  Mary  the  glad 
tidings  of  the  Saviour's  birth,  she  said  to  him, 
"How  shall  this  be,  seeing  I  know  not  a  man?" 
Her  feeble  mind  was  utterly  incompetent  to  enter 
into,  much  less  to  fathom,  the  stupendous  mystery 
of  u God  manifest  in  the  flesh."  But  mark  carefully 
the  angelic  reply — a  reply,  not  to  a  sceptic  mind, 
but  to  a  pious,  though  ignorant,  heart.— "The  Holy 
Ghost  shall  come  upon  thee,  and  the  power  of  the 
Highest  shall  overshadow  thee  ;  wherefore,  also,  that 
holy  thing  which  shall  be  born  of  thee  shall  be  called 
the  Son  of  God."  (Luke  i.  34,  35.)  Mary,  doubt- 
less, imagined  that  this  birth  was  to  be  according  to 
the  principles  of  ordinary  generation  ;  but  the  angel 
corrects  her  mistake,  and,  in  correcting  it,  enun- 
ciates one  of  the  grandest  truths  of  revelation.  He 
declares  to  her  that  divine  power  was  about  to  form 
A  KEAL  MAN— "the  second  Man— the  Lord  from 
heaven" — One  whose  nature  was  divinely  pure,  ut- 


CHAPTER    XXVI.  301 

terly  incapable  of  receiving  or  communicating  any 
taint.  This  holy  One  was  made  ' fc  in  the  likeness  of 
sinful  flesh,"  without  sin  in  the  flesh.  He  partook 
of  real  bona  fide  flesh  and  blood  without  a  particle 
or  shadow  of  the  evil  thereto  attaching. 

This  is  a  cardinal  truth  which  cannot  be  too  ac- 
curately laid  hold  of  or  too  tenaciously  held.  The 
incarnation  of  the  Son,  the  second  Person  in  the 
eternal  Trinity — His  mysterious  entrance  into  pure 
and  spotless  flesh,  formed,  by  the  power  of  the 
Highest,  in  the  virgin's  womb,  is  the  foundation  of 
the  "great  mystery  of  godliness,"  of  which  the  top- 
stone  is  a  glorified  God-man  in  heaven,  the  Head, 
Representative,  and  Model  of  the  redeemed  Church 
of  God.  The  essential  purity  of  His  manhood  per- 
fectly met  the  claims  of  God ;  the  reality  thereof 
met  the  necessities  of  man.  He  was  a  Man,  for 
none  else  would  do  to  meet  man's  ruin.  But  He 
was  such  a  Man  as  could  satisfy  all  the  claims  of  the 
throne  of  God.  He  was  a  spotless,  real  Man,  in 
whom  God  could  perfectly  delight,  and  on  whom 
man  could  unreservedly  lean. 

I  need  not  remind  the  enlightened  reader  that  all 
this,  if  taken  apart  from  death  and  resurrection,  is 
perfectly  unavailable  to  us.  We  need  not  only  an 
incarnate,  but  a  crucified  and  risen,  Christ.  True, 
He  should  be  incarnate  to  be  crucified ;  but  it  is 
death  and  resurrection  which  render  incarnation 
available  to  us.  It  is  nothing  short  of  a  deadly 
error  to  suppose  that  in  incarnation  Christ  was  tak- 
ing man  into  union  with  Himself.  This  could  not 


302  EXODUS. 

be.  He  Himself  expressly  teaches  the  contrary. — 
"Verily,  verily,  I  say  unto  you,  Except  a  corn  of 
wheat  fall  into  the  ground  and  die,  it  abideth  alone; 
but  if  it  die,  it  bringeth  forth  much  fruit."  (John 
xii.  24. )  There  could  be  no  union  between  sinful 
and  holy  flesh,  pure  and  impure,  corruptible  and 
incorruptible,  mortal  and  immortal.  Accomplished 
death  is  the  only  base  of  a  unity  between  Christ  and 
His  elect  members.  It  is  in  beautiful  connection 
with  the  words,  "Eise,  let  us  go  hence,"  that  He 
says,  "I  am  the  vine,  ye  are  the  branches."  "We 
have  been  planted  together  in  the  likeness  of  His 
death."  "Our  old  man  is  crucified  with  Him,  that 
the  body  of  sin  might  be  destroyed."  "In  whom 
also  ye  are  circumcised  with  the  circumcision  made 
without  hands,  in  putting  oif  the  body  of  the  sins 
of  the  flesh  by  the  circumcision  of  Christ:  buried 
with  Him  in  baptism,  wherein  also  }-e  are  risen  with 
Him  through  the  faith  of  the  operation  of  God,  who 
hath  raised  Him  from  the  dead."  I  would  refer  my 
reader  to  Romans  vi.  and  Colossians  ii.  as  a  full  and 
comprehensive  statement  of  the  truth  on  this  im- 
portant subject.  It  was  only  as  dead  and  risen  that 
Christ  and  His  people  could  become  one.  The  true 
corn  of  wheat  had  to  fall  into  the  ground  and  die 
ere  a  full  ear  could  spring  up  and  be  gathered  into 
the  heavenly  garner. 

But  while  this  is  a  plainly  revealed  truth  of  Scrip- 
ture, it  is  equally  plain  that  incarnation  formed,  as 
it  were,  the  first  layer  of  the  glorious  superstructure  ; 
and  the  curtains  of ' c  fine  twined  linen ' '  prefigure  the 


CHAPTER    XXVI.  303 

moral  purity  of  "the  Man  Christ  Jesus."  We  have 
already  seen  the  manner  of  His  conception  ;  and,  as 
we  pass  along  the  current  of  His  life  here  below,  we 
meet  with  instance  after  instance  of  the  same  spot- 
less purity.  He  was  forty  days  in  the  wilderness, 
tempted  of  the  devil,  but  there  was  no  response  in 
His  pure  nature  to  the  tempters  foul  suggestions. 
He  could  touch  the  leper  and  receive  no  taint ;  He 
could  touch  the  bier  and  not  contract  the  smell  of 
death ;  He  could  pass  unscathed  through  the  most 
polluted  atmosphere.  He  was,  as  to  His  manhood, 
like  a  sunbeam  emanating  from  the  fountain  of  light, 
which  can  pass  without  a  soil  through  the  most  de- 
filing medium.  He  was  perfectly  unique  in  nature, 
constitution,  and  character.  None  but  He  could 
say,  "Thou  wilt  not  suffer  Thine  holy  One  to  see 
corruption."  This  was  in  reference  to  His  human- 
ity, which,  as  being  perfectly  holy  and  perfectly 
pure,  was  capable  of  being  a  sin-bearer.  "His  own 
self  bare  our  sins  in  His  own  body  on  the  tree." 
Not  to  the  tree,  as  some  would  teach  us;  but  "on 
the  tree."  It  was  on  the  cross  that  Christ  was  our 
sin-bearer,  and  only  there.  "He  hath  made  Him  to 
be  sin  for  us  who  knew  no  sin,  that  we  might  be 
made  the  righteousness  of  God  in  Him."  (2  Cor. 
v.  21.) 

"Blue"  is  the  ethereal  color,  and  marks  the  heav- 
enly character  of  Christ,  who,  though  He  had  come 
down  into  all  the  circumstances  of  actual  and  true 
humanity  (sin  excepted),  yet  was  He  "the  Lord 
from  heaven."  Though  He  was  "very  man,"  yet 


304  EXODUS. 

He  ever  walked  in  the  uninterrupted  consciousness 
of  His  proper  dignity,  as  a  heavenly  stranger.  He 
never  once  forgot  whence  He  had  come,  where  He 
was,  or  whither  He  was  going.  The  spring  of  all  His 
joys  was  on  high.  Earth  could  neither  make  Him 
richer  nor  poorer.  He  found  this  world  to  be  "a 
dry  and  thirsty  land,  where  no  water  is,"  and  hence 
His  spirit  could  only  find  its  refreshment  above.  It 
was  entirely  heavenly. — "No  man  hath  ascended  up 
to  heaven,  but  He  that  came  down  from  heaven,  even 
the  Son  of  Man  wlio  is  in  heaven.79  (John  iii.  13.) 

" Purple"  denotes  royalty,  and  points  us  to  Him 
who  "was  born  King  of  the  Jews;"  who  offered 
Himself  as  such  to  the  Jewish  nation,  and  was  re- 
jected ;  who  before  Pontius  Pilate  witnessed  a  good 
confession,  avowing  Himself  a  king,  when,  to  mortal 
vision,  there  was  not  so  much  as  a  single  trace  of 
royalty. — "Thou  sayest  that  I  am  a  king."  And 
"hereafter  ye  shall  see  the  Son  of  Man  sitting  at 
the  right  hand  of  power,  and  coming  in  the  clouds 
of  heaven."  And,  finally,  the  inscription  upon  His 
cross,  ' '  in  letters  of  Hebrew,  and  Greek,  and  Latin ' ' 
— the  language  of  religion,  of  science,  and  of  gov- 
ernment— declared  Him,  to  the  whole  known  world, 
to  be  "Jesus  of  Nazareth,  the  King  of  the  Jews." 
Earth  disowned  His  claims  (so  much  the  worse  for 
it),  but  not  so  heaven;  there  His  claim  was  fully 
recognized.  He  was  received  as  a  conqueror  into 
the  eternal  mansions  of  light,  crowned  with  glory 
and  honor,  and  seated,  amid  the  acclamations  of 
angelic  hosts,  on  the  throne  of  the  Majesty  in  the 


CHAPTEK    XXVI.  305 

heavens,  there  to  wait  until  His  enemies  be  made 
His  footstool.  "Why  do  the  heathen  rage,  and  the 
people  imagine  a  vain  thing  ?  The  kings  of  the 
earth  set  themselves,  and  the  rulers  take  counsel 
together,  against  the  Lord,  and  against  His  anointed, 
saying,  'Let  us  break  their  bands  asunder,  and  cast 
away  their  cords  from  us.'  He  that  sitteth  in  the 
heavens  shall  laugh ;  the  Lord  shall  have  them  in 
derision.  Then  shall  He  speak  unto  them  in  His 
wrath,  and  vex  them  in  His  sore  displeasure.  Yet 
have  I  set  My  King  upon  My  holy  hill  of  Zion.  I 
will  declare  the  decree:  the  Lord  hath  said  unto 
Me,  'Thou  art  My  Son;  this  day  have  I  begotten 
Thee.  Ask  of  Me,  and  I  shall  give  Thee  the  heathen 
for  Thine  inheritance,  and  the  uttermost  parts  of  the 
earth  for  Thy  possession.  Thou  shalt  break  them 
with  a  rod  of  iron  ;  Thou  shalt  clash  them  in  pieces 
like  a  potter's  vessel.'  Be  wise  now  therefore,  O 
ye  kings;  be  instructed,  ye  judges  of  the  earth. 
Serve  the  Lord  with  fear,  and  rejoice  with  trembling. 
Kiss  the  Son,  lest  He  be  angry,  and  ye  perish  from 
the  way,  when  His  wrath  is  kindled  but  a  little. 
BLESSED  ARE  ALL  THEY  THAT  PUT  THEIR 
TRUST  IN  HIM."  (Ps.  ii.) 

" Scarlet,"  when  genuine,  is  produced  by  death  ; 
and  this  makes  its  application  to  a  suffering  Christ 
safe  and  appropriate.  "Christ  hath  suffered  for  us 
in  the  flesh."  Without  deuth,  all  would  have  been 
unavailing.  We  can  admire  " the  blue"  and  "the 
purple,"  but  without  "the  scarlet"  the  tabernacle 
would  have  lacked  an  all-important  feature.  It  was 


306  EXODUS. 

by  death  that  Christ  destroyed  him  that  had  the 
power  of  death.  The  Holy  Ghost,  in  setting  before 
us  a  striking  figure  of  Christ — the  true  tabernacle — 
could  not  possibly  omit  that  phase  of  His  character 
which  constitutes  the  ground- work  of  His  connection 
with  His  body  the  Church,  of  His  claim  to  the  throne 
of  David,  and  the  headship  of  all  creation.  In  a 
word,  He  not  only  unfolds  the  Lord  Jesus  to  our 
view,  in.  these  significant  curtains,  as  .a  spotless 
Man,  a  royal  Man,  but  also  a  suffering  Man, — One 
who,  by  death,  should  make  good  His  claims  to  all 
that  to  which,  as  man,  He  was  entitled,  in  the 
divine  counsels. 

But  we  have  much  more  in  the  curtains  of  the 
tabernacle  than  the  varied  and  perfect  phases  of  the 
character  of  Christ,— we  have  also  the  unity  and 
consistency  of  that  character.  Each  phase  is  dis- 
played in  its  own  proper  perfectness  ;  and  one  never 
interferes  with,  or  mars  the  exquisite  beauty  of, 
another.  All  was  in  perfect  harmony  beneath  the 
eye  of  God,  and  was  so  displayed  in  "the  pattern 
which  was  showed  to  Moses  on  the  mount,"  and  in 
the  copy  which  was  exhibited  below.  ' '  Every  one 
of  the  curtains  shall  have  one  measure.  The  five 
curtains  shall  be  coupled  together  one  to  another ; 
and  other  five  curtains  shall  be  coupled  one  to 
another."  Such  was  the  fair  proportion  and  con- 
sistency in  all  the  ways  of  Christ,  as  a  perfect  Man, 
walking  on  the  earth,  in  whatever  aspect  or  relation- 
ship we  vtew  Him.  When  acting  in  one  character, 
we  never  find  aught  that  is,  in  the  very  least  degree, 


CHAPTER    XXVI.  307 

inconsistent  with  the  divine  integrity  of  another. 
He  was,  at  all  times,  in  all  places,  under  all  circum- 
stances, the  perfect  Man.  There  was  nothing  out 
of  that  fair  and  lovely  proportion  which  belonged 
to  Him,  in  all  His  ways.  "Every  one  of  the  cur- 
tains shall  have  one  measure." 

The  two  sets  of  live  curtains  each  may  symbolize 
the  two  grand  aspects  of  Christ's  character,  as  act- 
ing toward  God  and  toward  man.  We  have  the 
s'ame  two  aspects  in  the  law,  namely,  what  was  due 
to  God,  and  what  was  due  to  man ;  so  that  as  to 
Christ,  if  we  look  in,  we  find  "Thy  law  is  within  My 
heart ;  "  and  if  we  look  at  His  outward  character  and 
walk,  we  see  those  two  elements  adjusted  with  per- 
fect accuracy,  and  not  only  adjusted,  but  inseparably 
linked  together  by  the  heavenly  grace  and  divine 
energy  which  dwelt  in  His  most  glorious  Person. 

"And  thou  shalt  make  loops  of  blue  upon  the  edge 
of  the  one  curtain,  from  the  selvedge  in  the  coupling  ; 
and  likewise  shalt  thou  make  in  the  uttermost  ecl^c 

o 

of  another  curtain,  in  the  coupling  of  the  second 
....  And  thou  shalt  make  fifty  taches  of  gold, 
and  couple  the  curtains  together  with  the  taches ; 
and  it  shall  be  one  tabernacle. ' '  We  have  here  dis- 
played to  us,  in  the  "loops  of  blue,"  and  "taches 
of  gold,"  that  heavenly  grace  and  divine  energy  in 
Christ  which  enabled  Him  to  combine  and  perfectly 
adjust  the  claims  of  God  and  man;  so  that  in  re- 
sponding to  both  the  one  and  the  other,  He  never, 
for  a  moment,  marred  the  unity  of  His  character. 
When  crafty  and  hypocritical  men  tempted  Him 


308  EXODUS. 

with  the  inquiry,  uls  it  lawful  to  give  tribute  to 
Caesar,  or  not?"  His  wise  reply  was,  "Render  to 
Caesar  the  things  that  are  Caesar's,  and  to  God  the 
things  that  are  God's." 

Nor  was  it  merely  Caesar,  but  man  in  every  rela- 
tion that  had  all  his  claims  perfectly  met  in  Christ. 
As  He  united  in  His  perfect  Person  the  nature  of 
God  and  man,  so  He  met  in  His  perfect  ways  the 
claims  of  God  and  man.  Most  interesting  would  it 
be  to  trace,  through  the  gospel  narrative,  the  exem- 
plification of  the  principle  suggested  by  the  "loops 
of  blue,"  and  "taches  of  gold ;  "  but  I  must  leave 
my  reader  to  pursue  this  study  under  the  immediate 
guidance  of  the  Holy  Ghost,  who  delights  to  expa- 
tiate upon  every  feature  and  every  phase  of  that 
perfect  One  whom  it  is  His  unvarying  purpose  and 
undivided  object  to  exalt. 

The  curtains  on  which  we  have  been  dwelling  were 
covered  with  other  "curtains  of  goats'  hair."  (Ver*. 
7-14. )  Their  beauty  was  hidden  from  those  without 
by  that  which  bespoke  roughness  and  severity.  This 
latter  did  not  meet  the  view  of  those  within.  To  all 
who  were  privileged  to  enter  the  hallowed  inclosure, 
nothing  was  visible  save  "the  blue,  the  purple,  the 
scarlet,  and  fine  twined  linen,"  the  varied  yet  com- 
bined exhibition  of  the  virtues  and  excellencies  of 
that  divine-  Tabernacle  in  which  God  dwelt  within 
the  vail — that  is,  of  Christ,  through  whose  flesh,  the 
antitype  of  all  these,  the  beams  of  the  divine  nature 
shone  so  delicately  that  the  sinner  could  behold  with- 
out being  overwhelmed  by  their  dazzling  brightness. 


CHAPTER    XXVI.  309 

As  the  Lord  Jesus  passed  along  this  earth,  how 
few  really  knew  Him !  How  few  had  eyes  anointed 
with  heavenly  cj^e-salve  to  penetrate  and  appreciate 
the  deep  mystery  of  His  character !  How  few  saw 
"the  blue,  the  purple,  the  scarlet,  and  fine  twined 
linen"  !  It  was  only  when  faith  brought  man  into 
His  presence  that  He  ever  allowed  the  brightness  of 
what  He  was  to  shine  forth — ever  allowed  the  glory 
to  break  through  the  cloud.  To  nature's  eye  there 
would  seem  to  have  been  a  reserve  and  a  severity 
about  Him  which  were  aptly  prefigured  by  the  "cov- 
ering of  goats'  hair."  All  this  was  the  result  of  His 
profound  separation  and  estrangement,  not  from 
sinners  personally,  but  from  the  thoughts  and  max- 
ims of  men.  He  had  nothing  in  common  with  man 
as  such,  nor  was  it  within  the  compass  of  mere 
nature  to  comprehend  or  enjoy  Him.  "No  man," 
said  He,  "can  come  to  Me,  except  the  Father  which 
hath  sent  Me  draw  him;"  and  when  one  of  those 
"drawn"  ones  confessed  His  name,  Pie  declared 
that  "flesh  and  blood  hath  not  revealed  it  unto  thee, 
but  My  Father  which  is  in  heaven."  (Comp.  John 
vi.  44;  Matt.  xvi.  17.)  He  was  "a  root  out  of  a 
dry  ground,"  having  neither  "form  nor  comeliness" 
to  attract  the  eye  or  gratify  the  heart  of  man.  The 
popular  current  could  never  flow  in  the  direction  of 
of  One  who,  as  He  passed  rapidly  across  the  stage 
of  this  vain  world,  wrapped  Himself  up  in  a  "cov- 
ering of  goats'  hair."  Jesus  was  not  popular.  The 
multitude  might  follow  Him  for  a  moment,  because 
His  ministry  stood  connected,  in  their  judgment, 
21 


310  EXODUS. 

with  "the  loaves  and  fishes"  which  met  their  need  ; 
but  they  were  just  as  ready  to  cry,  "Away  with 
Him  !  "  as  uHosanna  to  the  Son  of  David  !  "  Oh, 
let  Christians  remember  this !  Let  the  servants  of 
Christ  remember  it !  Let  all  preachers  of  the  gospel 
remember  it !  Let  one  and  all  of  us  ever  seek  to 
bear  in  mind  the  "covering  of  goats9  hair"  ! 

But  if  the  goats'  skins  expressed  the  severity  of 
Christ's  separation  from  earth,  "the  rams'  skins 
dyed  red"  exhibit  His  intense  consecration  and  de- 
votedness  to  God,  which  was  carried  out  even  unto 
death.  He  was  the  only  perfect  Servant  that  ever 
stood  in  God's  vineyard.  He  had  one  object,  which 
He  pursued  with  an  undeviating  course  from  the 
manger  to  the  cross,  and  that  was,  to  glorify  the 
Father,  and  finish  His  work.  "Wist  ye  not  that  I 
must  be  about  My  Father's  business?"  was  the 
language  of  His  youth,  and  the  accomplishment  of 
that  "business"  was  the  design  of  His  life.  "His 
meat  was  to  do  the  will  of  Him  that  sent  Him,  and 
to  finish  His  work."  "The  rams'  skins  dyed  red" 
formed  as  distinct  a  part  of  His  ordinary  habit  as 
the  "goats'  hair."  His  perfect  devotion  to  God 
separated  Him  from  the  habits  of  men. 

' '  The  badgers'  skins ' '  may  exhibit  to  us  the  holy 
vigilance  with  which  the  Lord  Jesus  guarded  against 
the  approach  of  every  thing  hostile  to  the  purpose 
which  engrossed  His  whole  soul.  He  took  up  His 
position  for  God,  and  held  it  with  a  tenacity  which 
no  influence  of  men  or  devils,  earth  or  hell,  could 
overcome.  The  covering  of  badger's  skins  was 


CHAPTER    XXVI.  311 

"above"  (ver.  14),  teaching  us  that  the  most 
prominent  feature  in  the  character  of  "the  Man 
Christ  Jesus"  was  an  invincible  determination  to 
stand  as  a  witness  for  God  on  the  earth.  He  was 
the  true  Naboth,  who  gave  up  His  life  rather  than 
surrender  the  truth  of  God,  or  give  up  that  for 
which  He  had  taken  His  place  in  this  world. 

The  goat,  the  ram,  and  the-  badger  must  be  re- 
garded as  exhibiting  certain  natural  features,  and 
also  as  symbolizing  certain  moral  qualities  ;  and  we 
must  take  both  into  account  in  our  application  of 
these  figures  to  the  character  of  Christ.  The  human 
eye  could  only  discern  the  former.  It  could  see 
none  of  the  moral  grace,  beauty,  and  dignity  which 
lay  beneath  the  outward  form  of  the  despised  and 
humble  Jesus  of  Nazareth.  When  the  treasures  of 
heavenly  wisdom  flowed  from  His  lips,  the  inquiry 
was,  "Is  not  this  the  carpenter?"  or,  "How  know- 
eth  this  Man  letters,  having  never  learned?"  When 
He  asserted  His  eternal  Sonship  and  Godhead,  the 
word  was,  "Thou  art  not  yet  fifty  years  old,"  or, 
"They  took  up  stones  to  cast  at  Him."  In  short, 
the  acknowledgment  of  the  Pharisees  in  John  ix. 
was  true  in  reference  to  men  in  general. — "As  for 
this  fellow,  we  know  not  from  whence  He  is." 

It  would  be  utterly  impossible,  in  the  compass  of 
a  volume  like  this,  to  trace  the  unfoldings  of  those 
precious  features  of  Christ's  character  through  the 
gospel  narratives.  Sufficient  has  been  said  to  open 
up  springs  of  spiritual  thought  to  my  reader,  and  to 
furnish  some  faint  idea  of  the  rich  treasures  which 


312  EXODUS. 

are  wrapped  up  in  the  curtains  and  coverings  of  the 
tabernacle.  Christ's  hidden  being,  secret  springs, 
and  inherent  excellencies — His  outward  and  unat- 
tractive form — what  He  was  in  Himself,  what  He 
was  Godward,  and  what  He  was  manward — what  He 
was  in  the  judgment  of  faith,  and  what  in  the  judg- 
ment of  nature — all  is  sweetly  and  impressively  told 
but,  to  the  circumcised  ear,  in  the  "  curtains  of 
blue,  purple,  scarlet,  and  fine  twined  linen,"  and 
the  "coverings  of  skins." 

"The  boards  for  the  tabernacle"  were  friade  of 
the  same  wood  as  was  used  in  constructing  "the 
ark  of  the  covenant."  Moreover,  they  were  upheld 
by  the  sockets  of  silver  formed  out  of  the  atone- 
ment ;  their  hooks  and  chapiters  being  of  the  same. 
(Compare  attentively  chap.  xxx.  11-16,  with  chap, 
xxxviii.  25-28.)  The  whole  frame- work  of  the  tent 
of  the  tabernacle  was  based  on  that  which  spoke  of 
atonement  or  ransom,  while  the  "hooks  and  chap- 
iters" at  the  top  set  forth  the  same.  The  sockets 
were  buried  in  the  sand,  and  the  hooks  and  chapiters 
were  above.  It  matters  not  how  deep  you  penetrate, 
or  how  high  you  rise,  that  glorious  and  eternal  truth 
is  emblazoned  before  you,  "I  HAVE  FOUND  A 
RANSOM."  Blessed  be  God,  "we  are  not  re- 
deemed with  corruptible  things,  as  silver  and  gold, 
....  but  with  the  precious  blood  of  Christ,  as 
of  a  lamb  without  blemish  and  without  spot. ' ' 

The  tabernacle  was  divided  into  three  distinct 
parts,  namely,  "the  holy  of  holies,"  "the  holy 
place,"  and  "the  court  of  the  tabernacle."  The 


CHAPTER    XXVII.  313 

entrance  into  each  of  these  was  of  the  same  mate- 
rials— "blue,  purple,  scarlet,  and  fine  twined  linen." 
(Compare  chapter  xxvi.  31,  36;  xxvii.  16.)  The 
interpretation  of  which  is  simply  this  :*  Christ  forms 
the  only  doorway  into  the  varied  fields  of  glory  which 
are  yet  to  be  displayed,  whether  on  earth,  in  heaven, 
or  in  the  heaven  of  heavens.  "  Every  family,  in 
heaven  and  earth,"  will  be  ranged  under  His  head- 
ship, as  all  will  be  brought  into  everlasting  felicity 
and  glory  on  the  ground  of  His  accomplished  atone- 
ment. This  is  plain  enough,  and  needs  no  stretch 
of  the  imagination  to  grasp  it.  We  know  it  to  be 
true  ;  and  when  we  know  the  truth  which  is  shadowed 
forth,  the  shadow  is  easily  understood.  If  only  our 
hearts  be  filled  with  Christ,  we  shall  not  go  far  astray 
in  our  interpretations  of  the  tabernacle  and  its  fur- 
niture. It  is  not  a  head  full  of  learned  criticism 
that  will  avail  us  much  here,  but  a  heart  full  of  affec- 
tion for  Jesus,  and  a  conscience  at  rest  in  the  blood 
of  His  cross. 

May  the  Spirit  of  God  enable  us  to  study  these 
things  with  more  interest  and  intelligence.  May 
He  "open  our  eyes  that  we  may  behold  wondrous 
things  out  of  His  law." 


CHAPTER  XXVII. 

llfE  have  now  arrived  at  the  brazen  altar,  which 

»  T       stood  at  the  door  of  the  tabernacle;  and  I 

would  call  my. reader's  most  particular  attention  to 

the  order  of  the  Holy  Ghost  in  this  portion  of  our 


314  EXODUS. 

book.  We  have  already  remarked  that  from  chapter 
xxv.  to  the  nineteenth  verse  of  chapter  xxvii.  forms 
a  distinct  division,  in  which  we  are  furnished  with  a 
description  of  the  ark  and  mercy-seat,  the  table  and 
candlestick,  the  curtains  and  the  vail ;  and,  lastly, 
the  brazen  altar  and  the  court  in  which  that  altar 
stood.  If  my  reader  will  turn  to  chapter  xxxv.  15, 
chapter  xxxvii.  25,  and  chapter  xl.  26,  he  will  re- 
mark that  the  golden  altar  of  incense  is  noticed,  in 
each  of  the  three  instances,  between  the  candlestick 
and  the  brazen  altar ;  whereas,  when  Jehovah  is 
giving  directions  to  Moses,  the  brazen  altar  is  in- 
troduced immediately  after  the  candlestick  and  the 
curtains  of  the  tabernacle.  Now,  inasmuch  as  there 
must  be  a  divine  reason  for  this  difference,  it  is  the 
privilege  of  every  diligent  and  intelligent  student  of 
the  Word  to  inquire  what  that  reason  is. 

Why,  then,  does  the  Lord,  when  giving  directions 
about  the  furniture  of  the  "holy  place,"  omit  the 
altar  of  incense,  and  pass  *out  to  -the  brazen  altar 
which  stood  at  the  door  of  the  tabernacle  ?  The 
reason,  I  believe,  is  simply  this:  He  first  describes 
the  mode  in  which  He  would  manifest  Himself  to 
man,  and  then  He  describes  the  mode  of  man's 
approach  to  Him.  He  took  His  seat  upon  the 
throne,  as  "the  Lord  of  all  the  earth."  The  beams 
of  His  glory  were  hidden  behind  the  vail — type 
of  Christ's  flesh  (Heb.  x.  20.);  but  there  was  the 
manifestation  of  Himself  in  connection  with  man, 
as  in  "the  pure  table,"  and  by  the  light  and  power 
of  the  Holy  Ghost,  as  in  the  candlestick.  Then  we 


CHAPTER    XXVII.  315 

have  the  manifested  character  of  Christ  as  a  man 
down  here  on  this  earth,  as  seen  in  the  curtains  and 
coverings  of  the  tabernacle.  And,  finally,  we  have 
the  brazen  altar  as  the  grand  exhibition  of  the  meet- 
ing-place between  a  holy  God  and  a  sinner.  This 
conducts  us,  as  it  were,  to  the  extreme  point,  from 
which  we  return,  in  company  with  Aaron  and  his 
sons,  back  to  the  holy  place,  the  ordinary  priestly 
position,  where  stood  the  golden  altar  of  incense. 
Thus  the  order  is  strikingly  beautiful.  The  golden 
altar  is  not  spoken  of  until  there  is  a  priest  to  burn 
incense  thereon,  for  Jehovah  showed  Moses  the 
patterns  of  things  in  the  heavens  according  to  the 
order  in  which  these  things  are  to  be  apprehended 
by  faith.  On  the  other  hand,  when.  Moses  gives 
directions  to  the  congregation  (chap.  xxxv. ),  when 
he  records  the  labors  of  -"Bezaleel  and  Aholiab" 
(chap,  xxxvii.  and  xxxviii.),  and  when  he  sets  up 
the  tabernacle  (chap,  xl.),  he  follows  the  simple 
order  in  which  the  furniture  wras  placed. 

The  prayerful  investigation  of  this  interesting 
subject,  and  a  comparison  of  the  passages  above 
referred  to,  will  amply  repay  my  reader.  We  shall 
now  examine  the  brazen  altar. 

This  altar  was  the  place  where  the  sinner  ap- 
proached God,  in  the  power  and  efficacy  of  the 
blood  of  atonement.  It  stood  ' '  at  the  door  of  the 
tabernacle  of  the  tent  of  the  congregation,"  and  on 
it  all  the  blood  was  shed.  It  was  composed  of 
ushittim  wood  and  brass."  The  wood  was  the 
same  as  that  of  the  golden  altar  of  incense ;  but 


316  EXODUS. 

the  metal  was  different,  arid  the  reason  of  this  dif- 
ference is  obvious.  The  altar  of  brass  was  the 
place  where  sin  was  dealt  with  according  to  the 
divine  judgment  concerning  it.  The  altar  of  gold 
was  the  place  from  whence  the  precious  fragrance 
of  Christ's  acceptableness  ascended  to  the  throne 
of  God.  The  "shittim  wood,"  as  the  figure  of 
Christ's  humanity,  must  be  the  same  in  each  case ; 
but  in  the  brazen  altar  we  see  Christ  meeting  the 
fire  of  divine  justice  ;  in  the  golden  altar  we  behold 
Him  feeding  the  divine  affections.  At  the  former, 
the  fire  of  divine  wrath  was  quenched  ;  at  the  latter, 
the  fire  of  priestly  worship  is  kindled.  The  soul 
delights  to  find  Christ  in  both;  but  the  altar  of 
brass  is  what  meets  the  need  of  a  guilty  conscience, 
— it  is  the  very  first  thing  for  a  poor,  helpless,  needy, 
convicted  sinner.  There  cannot  be  settled  peace, 
in  reference  to  the  question  of  sin,  until  the  eye  of 
faith  rests  on  Christ  as  the  antitype  of  the  brazen 
altar.  I  must  see  my  sin  reduced  to  ashes  in  the 
pan  of  that  altar  ere  I  can  enjoy  rest  of  conscience 
in  the  presence  of  God.  It  is  when  I  know,  by 
faith  in  the  record  of  God,  that  He  Himself  has 
dealt  with  my  sin  in  the  Person  of  Christ,  at  the 
brazen  altar — that  He  has  satisfied  all  His  own 
righteous  claims — that  He  has  put  away  my  sin  out 
of  His  holy  presence,  so  that  it  can  never  come 
back  again — it  is  then,  but  not  until  then,  that  I 
can  enjoy  divine  and  everlasting  peace. 

I  would  here  offer  a  remark  as  to  the  real  meaning 
of  the  "gold"  and  "brass"  in  the  furniture  of  the 


CHAPTER    XXVII.  317 

tabernacle.  "Gold"  is  the  symbol  of  divine  right- 
eousness, or  the  divine  nature  in  "the  Man  Christ 
Jesus."  "Brass  "is  the  symbol  of  righteousness, 
demanding  judgment  of  sin,  as  in  the  brazen  altar; 
or  the  judgment  of  uneleanness,  as  in  the  brazen 
laver.  This  will  account  for  the  fact  that  inside  the 
tent  of  the  tabernacle  all  was  gold, — the  ark,  the 
mercy-seat,  the  table,  the  candlestick,  the  altar  of 
incense.  All  these  were  the  symbols  of  the  divine 
nature — the  inherent  personal  excelleji££«£f  the 
Lord  Jesus  Christ.  On  the  othej; 
tent  of  the  tabernacle  all  wa 
altar  and  its  vessels,  the  laver  ; 

The  claims  of  righteousness^ 
cleanness,  must  be  divinely  metN 
any  enjoyment  of  the  precious  mysteriE 
Person,  as  unfolded  in  the  inner  sanctuary  of  God. 
It  is  when  I  see  all  sin  and  all  uneleanness  perfectly 
judged  and  washed  away  that  I  can,  as  a  priest, 
draw  nigh  and  worship  in  the  holy  place,  and  enjoy 
the  full  display  of  all  the  beauty  and  excellency  of 
the  God-man,  Christ  Jesus. 

The  reader  can,  with  much  profit,  follow  out  the 
application  of  this  thought  in  detail,  n6t  merely  in 
the*  study  of  the  tabernacle  and  the  temple,  but  also 
in  various  passages  of  the  Word ;  for  example,  in 
the  first  chapter  of  Revelation,  Christ  is  seen  "girt 
about  the  paps  with  a  golden  girdle,"  and  having 
"His  feet  like  unto  fine  brass,  as  if  they  burned  in 
a  furnace."  The  "golden  girdle"  is  the  symbol  of% 
His  intrinsic  righteousness.  The  "feet  like  unto 


318  EXODUS.  . 

fine  brass"  express  the  unmitigated  judgment  of 
evil  (lie  cannot  tolerate  evil,  but  must  crush  it 
beneath  His  feet). 

Such  is  the  Christ  with  whom  we  have  to  do.  He 
judges  sin,  but  He  saves  the  sinner.  Faith  sees  sin 
reduced  to  ashes  at  the  brazen  altar ;  it  sees  all 
uncleanness  washed  away  at  the  brazen  laver  ;  and, 
finally,  it  enjoys  Christ  as  He  is  unfolded,  in  the 
secret  of  the  divine  presence,  by  the  light  and 
power  of  the  Holy  Ghost.  It  finds  Him  at  the 
golden  altar,  in  all  the  value  of  His  intercession ; 
it  feeds  on  Him  at  the  pure  table ;  it  recognizes 
Him  in  the  ark  and  mercy-seat,  as  the  One  who 
answers  all  the  claims  of  justice,  and,  at  the  same 
time,  meets  all  human  need ;  it  beholds  Him  in  the 
vail,  with  all  its  mystic  figures ;  it  reads  His  pre- 
cious name  on  every  thing.  O,  for  a  heart  to  prize 
and  praise  this  matchless,  glorious  Christ  ! 

Nothing  can  be  of  more  vital  importance  than  a 
clear  understanding  of  the  doctrine  of  the  brazen 
altar ;  that  is  to  say,  of  the  doctrine  taught  there. 
It  is  from  the  want  of  clearness  as  to  this  that  so 
many  souls  go  mourning  all  their  days.  They  have 
never  had  a  clean,  thorough  settlement  of  the  whole 
matter  of  their  guilt  at  the  brazen  altar  ;  they  have 
never  really  beheld,  by  faith,  God  Himself  settling, 
on  the  cross,  the  entire  question  of  their  sins ;  they 
are  seeking  peace  for  their  uneasy  consciences  in 
regeneration  and  its  evidences, — the  fruits  of  the 
Spirit,  frames,  feelings,  experiences, — things  quite 
right  and  most  valuable  in  themselves,  but  they  are 


CHAPTERS    XXVIII.    &    XXIX.  319 

not  the  ground  of  peace.  What  fills  the  soul  with 
perfect  peace  is  the  knowledge  of  what  God  hath 
wrought  at  the  brazen  altar.  The  ashes  in  yonder 
pan  tell  me  the  peace-giving  story  that  ALL  IS 
DONE.  The  believer's  sins  were  all  put  away  by 
God's  own  hand  of  redeeming  love.  uHe  hath 
made  Christ  to  be  sin  for  us,  who  knew  no  sin,  that 
we  might  be  made  the  righteousness  of  God  in 
Him."  (2  Cor.  v.)  All  sin  must  be  judged:  but 
the  believer's  sins  have  been  already  judged  in  the 
cross;  hence,  he  is  perfectly  justified.  To  suppose 
that  there  could  be  any  thing  against  the  very 
feeblest  believer,  is  to  deny  the  entire  work  of  the 
cross.  His  sins  and  iniquities  have  been  all  put 
away  by  God  Himself,  and  therefore  they  must 
needs  be  perfectly  put  away.  They  all  went  with 
the  outpoured  life  of  the  Lamb  of  God. 

Dear  Christian  reader,  see  that  3-0111-  heart  is 
thoroughly  established  in  the  peace  which  Jesus  has 
made  "by  the  blood  of  His  cross." 


CHAPTERS   XXVIII.  &  XXIX. 

THESE  chapters  unfold  to  us  the  priesthood,  in 
all  its  value  and  efficacy.  They  are  full  of 
deep  interest.  The  very  word  "priesthood"  awak- 
ens in  the  heart  feelings  of  the  most  profound 
thankfulness  for  the  ^race  which  has  not  only  pro- 
vided a  way  for  us  to  get  into  the  divine  presence, 
but  also  the  means  of  keeping  us  there,  according 


320  EXODUS. 

to  the  character  and  claims  of  that  high  and  hoi}' 
position. 

The  Aaronic  priesthood  was  God's  provision  for  a 
people  who  were,  in  themselves,  at  a  distance,  and 
needed  one  to  appear  for  them  in  His  presence 
continually.  We  are  taught  in  Hebrews  vii.  that 
this  order  of  priesthood  belonged  to  the  law — that 
it  was  made  c '  after  the  law  of  a  carnal  command- 
ment"— that  it  "could  not  continue  by  reason  of 
death" — that  the  priests  belonging  to  it  had  infirm- 
ity. It  could  not,  therefore,  impart  perfection,  and 
hence  we  have  to  bless  God  that  it  was  instituted 
"without  an  oath."  The  oath  of  God  could  only 
stand  connected  with  that  which  was  to  endure 
forever,  even  the  perfect,  immortal,  untransferable 
priesthood  of  our  great  and  glorious  Melchisedek, 
who  imparts  both  to  His  sacrifice  and  His  priest- 
hood all  the  value,  the  dignity,  and  the  glory  of  His 
own  peerless  Person.  The  thought  of  having  such  a 
Sacrifice  and  such  a  Priest  as  He  causes  the  bosom 
to  heave  with  emotions  of  the  liveliest  gratitude. 

But  we  must  proceed  to  the  examination  of  the 
chapters  which  lie  before  us. 

In  chapter  xxviii.  we  have  the  robes,  and  in 
chapter  xxix.  we  have  the  sacrifices.  The  former 
have  more  especial  reference  to  the  need  of  the 
people ;  the  latter,  on  the  other  hand,  to  the  claims 
of  God.  The  robes  express  the  varied  functions  and 
qualities  of  the  priestly  office.  uThe  ephod"  was 
the  great  priestly  robe.  It  was  inseparably  con- 
nected with  the  shoulder-pieces  and  the  breastplate, 


CHAPTP:RS  xxvin.  &  xxix.  321 

teaching  us,  very  distinctly,  that  the  strength  of  the 
priest's  shoulder,  and  the  affection  of  the  priest's 
heart,  were  wholly  devoted  to  the  interests  of  those 
whom  he  represented,  and  on  whose  behalf  he  wore 
the  ephod — that  special  priestly  robe.  This,  which 
was  typified  in  Aaron,  is  actualized  in  Christ.  His 
omnipotent  strength  and  infinite  love  are  ours — 
ours  eternally — ours  unquestionably.  The  shoulder 
which  sustains  the  universe  upholds  the  feeblest  and 
most  obscure  member  of  the  blood-bought  congre- 
gation. The  heart  of  Jesus  beats  with  an  undying 
affection — with  an  everlasting  and  an  all-enduring 
love  for  the  most  neglected  member  of  the  redeemed 
assembly. 

The  names  of  the  twelve  tribes,  engraven  on  pre- 
cious stones,  were  borne  both  on  the  shoulders  and 
on  the  breast  of  the  high-priest.  (See  verses  9-12, 
15-29.)  The  peculiar  excellence  of  a  precious 
stone  is  seen  in  this,  that  the  more  intense  the  light 
which  is  brought  to  bear  upon  it,  the  more  brightly 
it  shines.  Light  can  never  make  a  precious  stone 
look  dim  ;  it  only  increases  and  develops  its  lustre. 
The  twelve  tribes — one  as  well  as  another,  the 
smallest  as  well  as  the  greatest — were  borne  contin- 
ually upon  the  breast  and  shoulders  of  Aaron  before 
the  Lord.  They  were  each  and  every  one  main- 
tained in  the  divine  presence  in  all  that  undimmed 
lustre  and  unalterable  beauty  which  belonged  to  the 
position  in  which  the  perfect  grace  of  the  God  of 
Israel  had  set  them.  The  people  were  represented 
before  God  by  the  high-priest.  Whatever  might  be 


322  EXODUS. 

their  infirmities,  their  errors,  or  their  failures,  yet 
their  names  glittered  on  the  breastplate  with  unfad- 
ing brilliancy.  Jehovah  had  set  them  there,  and 
who  could  pluck  them  thence  ?  Jehovah  had  put 
them  thus,  and  who  could  put  them  otherwise  ? 
Who  could  penetrate  into  the  holy  place  to  snatch 
from  Aaron's  breast  the  name  of  one  of  Israel's 
tribes  ?  Who  could  sully  the  lustre  which  gathered 
round  those  names,  in  the  position  which  Jehovah 
had  placed  them  ?  Not  one.  They  lay  beyond 
the  reach  of  every  enemy — beyond  the  influence  of 
every  evil. 

How  encouraging  and  consolatory  it  is  for  the 
tried,  tempted,  buffeted,  and  self-abased  children  of 
God  to  remember  that  God  only  sees  them  on  the 
heart  of  Jesus  !  In  His  view,  they  ever  shine  in  all 
the  effulgence  of  Christ — they  are  arrayed  in  divine 
comeliness.  The  world  cannot  see  them  thus  ;  but 
God  does,  and  this  makes  all  the  difference.  Men, 
in  looking  at  the  people  of  God,  see  only  their  blots 
and  blemishes.  They  have  no  ability  whatever  to 
see  further,  and  as  a  consequence,  their  judgment 
is  always  wrong — always  one-sided.  They  cannot 
see  the  sparkling  jewels,  bearing  the  names  of  God's 
redeemed,  engraven  by  the  hand  of  changeless  love. 
True  it  is  that  Christians  should  be  most  careful  not 
to  furnish  the  men  of  the  world  with  any  just  occa- 
sion to  speak  reproachfully.  They  should  seek,  "by 
patient  continuance  in  well-doing,  to  put  to  silence 
the  ignorance  of  foolish  men."  If  only  they  en- 
tered, by  the  power  of  the  Holy  Ghost,  into  the 


CHAPTERS    XXVIII.    &    XXIX.  323 

comeliness  in  which  they  ever  shine,  in  God's  vision, 
it  would  assuredly  lead  to  a  walk  of  practical  holi- 
ness, moral  purit}^  and  elevation  before  the  eyes  of 
men.  The  more  clearly  we  enter,  by  faith,  into 
objective  truth,  or  what  is  true  of  us  in  Christ,  the 
deeper,  more  experimental  and  practical  will  be  the  . 
subjective  work  in  us,  and  the  more  complete  will 
be  the  exhibition  of  the  moral  effect  in  our  life  and 
character. 

But,  thank  God,  our  judgment  is  not  with  men, 
but  with  Himself;  and  He  graciously  shows  us  our 
great  Hi^h-Priest,  u  bearing  our  judgment  on  His 

o  *>        o 

heart  before  the  Lord  continually."  This  imparts 
deep  and  settled  peace — a  peace  which  nothing  can 
shake.  We  may  have  to  confess  and  mourn  over 
our  constant  failures  and  short-comings, — the  eye 
ma}f,  at  times,  be  so  dimmed  with  the  tears  of  a 
genuine  contrition  as  to  be  but  little  able  to  .catch 
the  lustre  of  the  precious  stones  on  which  our  names 
are  engraven,  yet  there  they  are  all  the  while.  God 
sees  them,  and  that  is  enough.  He  is  glorified  by 
their  brightness — a  brightness  not  of  our  attaining, 
but  of  His  imparting.  We  had  naught  save  dark- 
ness, dullness,  and  deformit}T.  He  has  imparted 
brightness,  lustre,  and  beauty.  To  Him  be  all  the 
praise  throughout  the  everlasting  ages  ! 

4iThe  girdle"  is  the  well-known  symbol  of  serv- 
ice ;  and  Christ  is  the  perfect  Servant — the  Servant 
of  the  divine  counsels  and  affections,  and  of  the 
deep  and  manifold  need  of  His  people.  With  an 
earnest  spirit  of  devotedness,  which  nothing  could 


324  EXODUS. 

damp,  He  girded  Himself  for  His  work ;  and  when 
faith  sees  the  Son  of  God  thus  girded,  it  judges,  as- 
suredly, that  no  occasion  can  be  too  great  for  Him. 
We  find,  from  the  type  before  us,  that  all  the  virtues, 
the  dignities,  and  the  glories  of  Christ,  in  His  divine 
and  human  nature,  enter  fully  into  His  servant- 
character. — "The  curious  girdle  of  the  ephod,  which 
is  upon  it,  shall  be  of  the  same,  according  to  the 
work  thereof;  even  of  gold,  of  blue,  and  purple, 
and  scarlet,  and  fine  twined  linen."  (Verse  8.)  The 
faith  of  this  must  meet  every  necessity  of  the  soul, 
and  satisfy  the  most  ardent  longings  of  the  heart. 
We  not  only  see  Christ  as  the  slain  Victim  at  the 
brazen  altar,  but  also  as  the  girded  High-Priest  over 
the  house  of  God.  Well,  therefore,  may  the  inspired 
apostle  say,  "Let  us  draw  near," — "Let  us  hold 
fast," — "Let  its  consider  one  another."  (Heb.  x. 
19-24.) 

"And  thou  shalt  put  in  the  breastplate  of  judg- 
ment the  Urim  and  the  Thummim  ["lights  and 
perfections"]  ;  and  they  shall  be  upon  Aaron's 
heart,  when  he  goeth  in  before  the  Lord :  and 
Aaron  shall  bear  the  judgment  of  the  children  of 
Israel  upon  his  heart  before  the  Lord  continually. ' ' 
We  learn,  from  various  passages  of  the  Word,  that 
the  "Urim"  stood  connected  with  the  communica- 
tion of  the  mind  of  God  in  reference  to  the  various 
questions  which  arose  in  the  details  of  Israel's 
history.  Thus,  for  example,  in  the  appointment  of 
Joshua,  we  read,  "And  he  shall  stand  before  Elea- 
zar  the  priest,  who  shall  ask  counsel  for  him,  after 


CHAPTERS    XXVIII.    &    XXIX.  325 

the  judgment  of  Urim  before  the  Lord."  (Numb, 
xxvii.  21.)  "  And  of  Levi  he  said,  'Let  thy  Thum- 
mim  and  thy  Urim  [thy  perfections  and  thy  lights] 

be  with  thy  holy  one They  shall  teach 

Jacob  thy  judgments,  and  Israel  thy  law.'  "  (Deut. 
xxxiii.  8-10.)  "And  when  Saul  inquired  of  the 
Lord,  the  Lord  answered  him  not,  neither  by  dreams, 
nor  by  Urim,  nor  by  prophets."  (1  Sam.  xxviii.  6.) 
"And  Tirshatha  said  unto  them  that  they  should 
not  eat  of  the  most  holy  things  till  there  stood  up  <ti 
priest  with  Urim  and  with  Thummim."  (Ezra  ii.  G3. ) 
Thus  we  learn  that  the  high-priest  not  only  bore  the 
judgment  of  the  congregation  before  the  Lord,  but 
also  communicated  the  judgment  of  the  Lord  to  the 
congregation.  Solemn,  weighty,  and  most  precious 
functions  !  All  this  we  have,  in  divine  perfectness, 
in  our  "great  High-Priest,  who  has  passed  into  the 
heavens."  He  bears  the  judgment  of  His  people 
on  His  heart  continually ;  and  He,  by  the  Holy 
Ghost,  communicates  to  us  the  counsel  of  God,  in 
reference  to  the  most  minute  circumstances  of  our 
daily  course.  We  do  not  want  dreams  or  visions  ; 
if  only  we  walk  in  the  Spirit,  we -shall  enjoy  all  the 
certainty  which  the  perfect  "Urim,"  on  the  breast 
of  our  High-Priest,  can  afford. 

"And  thou  shalt  make  the  robe  of  the  ephod  all 

of  blue And  beneath,  upon  the  hem  of 

it,  thou  shalt  make  pomegranates  of  blue,  and  of 
purple,  and  of  scarlet,  round  about  the  hem  thereof; 
and  bells  of  gold  between  them  round  about:  a 
golden  bell  and  a  pomegranate,  a  golden  bell  and 
22 


326  EXODUS. 

a  pomegranate,  upon  the  hem  of  the  robe  round 
about.  And  it  shall  be  upon  Aaron  to  minister ; 
and  his  sound  shall  be  heard  when  he  goeth  in  unto 
the  holy  place  before  the  Lord,  and  when  he  eometh 
out,  that  he  die  not."  (Ver.  31-35.)  The  blue  robe 
of  the  ephod  is  expressive  of  the  entirely  heavenly 
character  of  our  High-Priest.  He  is  gone  into 
heaven, — He  is  beyond  the  range  of  mortal  vision  ; 
but,  by  the  power  of  the  Holy  Ghost,  there  is  divine 
testimony  to  the  truth  of  His  being  alive,  in  the 
presence  of  God  ;  and  not  only  testimony,  but  fruit 
likewise.  UA  golden  bell  and  a  pomegranate,  a 
golden  bell  and  a  pomegranate," — such  is  the  beau- 
teous order.  True  testimony  to  the  great  truth  that 
Jesus  ever  liveth  to  make  intercession  for  us  will 
be  inseparably  connected  with  fruitfulness  in  His 
service.  O,  for  a  deeper  understanding  of  these 
precious  and  holy  mysteries  !  * 

uAnd  tliou  shalt  make  a  plate  of  pure  gold,  and 
grave  upon  it,  like  the  engravings  of  a  signet, 
HOLINESS  TO  THE  LORD.  And  thou  shall  put 
it  on  a  bine  lace,  that  it  may  be  upon  the  mitre, 
upon  the  forefront  of  the  mitre  it  shall  be.  And  it 
shall  be  upon  Aaron's  forehead,  that  Aaron  may 
bear  the  iniquity  of  the  holy  things,  which  the 
children  of  Israel  shall  hallow  in  all  their  holy  gifts  ; 
and  it  shall  be  always  upon  Ms  forehead,  that  they 

*It  is  needless  to  remark  that  there  is  divine  appropriateness, 
as  well  as  eigniflcancy,  in  all  the  figures  presented  to  us  in  the 
Word.  Thus,  the  "pomegranate,"  when  opened,  is  found  to  con- 
sist of  a  number  of  seeds,  contained  in  a  red  fluid.  Surely  this 
has  a  voice.  Let  spirituality,  not  imagination,  judge. 


CHAPTERS    XXVIII.    &    XXIX.  327 

may  be  accepted  before  the  Lord."  (Yer.  36-38.) 
Here  is  a  weighty  truth  for  the  soul.  The  golden 
plate  on  Aaron's  forehead  was  the  type  of  the 
essential  holiness  of  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ.  "It 
shall  be  ALWAYS  upon  HIS  forehead,  that  THEY 
may  be  accepted  before  the  Lord."  What  rest  for 
the  heart  amid  all  the  fluctuations  of  one's  experi- 
ence !  Our  High-Priest  is  "always"  in  the  presence 
of  God  for  us.  We  are  represented  by,  and  accepted 
in,  Him.  His  holiness  is  ours.  The  more  deeply 
we  become  acquainted  with  our  own  personal  vile- 
ness  and  infirmity,  the  more  we  enter  into  the 
humiliating  truth  that  in  us  dwelleth  no  good  thing, 
the  more  fervently  shall  we  bless  the  God  of  all 
grace  for  the  soul-sustaining  truth  contained  in 
these  words,  "It  shall  be  always  upon  Ms  forehead, 
that  they  may  be  accepted  before  the  Lord." 

If  my  reader  should  happen  to  be  one  who  is 
frequently  tempted  and  harassed  with  doubts  and 
fears,  tips  and  downs  in  his  spiritual  condition,  with 
a  constant  tendency  to  look  inward  upon  his  poor, 
cold,  wandering,  wayward  heart, — if  he  be  tried 
with  an  excessive  vagueness  and  want  of  holy  re- 
ality, oh,  let  him  stay  his  whole  soul  upon  the  pre- 
cious truth  that  this  great  High-Priest  represents 
him  before  the  throne  of  God.  Let  him  fix  his  eye 
upon  the  golden  plate,  and  read  in  the  inscription 
thereon  the  measure  of  his  eternal  acceptance  with 
God.  May  the  Holy  Ghost  enable  him  to  taste  the 
peculiar  sweetness  and  sustaining  power  of  this 
divine  and  heavenly  doctrine. 


328  EXODUS. 

"And  for  Aaron's  sons  thou  slialt  make  coats, 
and  thou  shalt  make  for  them  girdles,  and  bonnets 
shalt  thou  make  for  them,  for  glory  and  for  beauty. 
.  .  .  .  And  thou  shalt  make  them  linen  breeches 
to  cover  their  nakedness ;  .  .  .  .  and  they  shall 
be  upon  Aaron,  and  upon  his  sons,  when  they  come 
in  unto  the  tabernacle  of  the  congregation,  or  when 
they  come  near  unto  the  altar  to  minister  in  the 
holy  place ;  that  they  bear  not  iniquity  and  die." 
Here  we  have  Aaron  and  his  sons,  typifying  Christ 
and  the  Church,  standing  in  the  power  of  one  divine 
and  everlasting  righteousness.  Aaron's  priestly 
robes  express  those  inherent,  essential,  personal, 
and  eternal  qualities  in  Christ;  while  the  "coats" 
and  "bonnets"  of  Aaron's  sons  represent  those 
graces  with  which  the  Church  is  endowed,  in  virtue 
of  its  association  with  the  great  Head  of  the 
priestly  family. 

Thus,  in  all  that  has  passed  before  us  in  this 
chapter,  we  may  see  with  what  gracious  care  Jeho- 
vah made  provision  for  the  need  of  His  people,  in 
that  He  allowed  them  to  see  the  one  who  was  about 
to  act  on  their  behalf,  and  to  represent  them  in  His 
presence,  clothed  with  all  those  robes  which  directly 
met  their  actual  condition,  as  known  to  Him.  No- 
thing was  left  out  which  the  heart  could  possibly 
need  or  desire.  They  might  survey  him  from  head 
to  foot  and  see  that  all  was  complete.  From  the 
holy  mitre  that  wreathed  his  brow,  to  the  bells  and 
pomegranates  on  the  hem  of  his  garment,  all  was  as 
it  should  be,  because  all  w.as  according  to  the  pat- 


CHAPTERS    XXVIII.    &    XXIX.  329 

tern  shown  in  the  mount — all  was  according  to 
Jehovah's  estimate  of  the  people's  need  and  of 
His  own  requirements. 

But  there  is  yet  one  point  connected  with  Aaron's 
robes  which  demands  the  reader's  special  attention, 
and  that  is  the  mode  in  which  the  gold  was  intro- 
duced in  the  making  of  them.  This  is  presented 
to  us  in  chapter  xxxix,  but  the  interpretation  comes 
in  suitably  enough  in  this  place.  "And  they  did 
beat  the  gold  into  thin  plates,  and  cut  it  into  wires, 
to  work  it  in  the  blue,  and  in  the  purple,  and  in  the 
scarlet,  and  in  the  line  linen,  with  cunning  work."  • 
(Ver.  3.)  We  have  already  remarked  that  "the 
blue,  the  purple,  the  scarlet,  and  fine  twined  linen" 
exhibit  the  various  phases  of  Christ's  manhood,  and 
the  gold  represents  his  divine  nature.  The  wire  of 
gold  was  curiously  insinuated  into  all  the  other 
materials,  so  as  to  be  inseparably  connected  with, 
and  yet  perfectly  distinct  from,  them. 

The  application  of  this  striking  figure  to  the 
character  of  the  Lord  Jesus  is  full  of  interest.  In 
various  scenes  throughout  the  gospel  narrative,  we 
can  easily  discern  this  rare  and  beauteous  union  of 
manhood  and  Godhead,  and,  at  the  same  time, 
their  mysterious  distinctness. 

Look,  for  example,  at  Christ  on  the  sea  of  Gali- 
lee. In  the  midst  of  the  storm  "He  was  asleep  on 
a  pillow"  (precious  exhibition  of  His  perfect  man- 
hood ! )  ;  but  in  a  moment  He  rises  from  the  attitude 
of  real  humanity  into  all  the  dignity  and  majesty 
of  Godhead,  and,  as  the  supreme  Governor  of  the 


330  EXODUS. 

universe,  He  hushes  the  storm  and  calms  the  sea. 
There  is  no  effort,  no  haste,  no  girding  Himself  up 
for  an  occasion.  With  perfect  ease,  He  rises  from 
the  condition  of  positive  humanity  into  the  sphere 
of  essential  deity.  The  repose  of  the  former  is  not 
more  natural  than  the  activity  of  the  latter.  He  is 
as  perfectly  at  home  in  the  one  as  in  the  other. 

Again,  see  Him  in  the  case  of  the  collectors  of 
tribute,  at  the  close  of  Matthew  xvii.  As  the  "Most 
High  God,  possessor  of  heaven  and  earth,"  He  lays 
His  hand  upon  the  treasures  of  the  ocean,  and  says, 
-  "They  are  Mine ; "  and,  having  declared  that  "the 
sea  is  His,  and  He  made  It,"  He  turns  round  and, 
in  the  exhibition  of  perfect  humanity,  He  links 
Himself  with  His  poor  servant  by  those  touching 
words,  "That  take,  and  give  unto  them  for  Me  and 
thee."  Gracious  words  ! — peculiarly  gracious,  when 
taken  in  connection  with  the  miracle  so  entirely 
expressive  of  the  Godhead  of  the  One  who  was  thus 
linking  Himself,  in  infinite  condescension,  with  a 
poor,  feeble  worm. 

Once  more,  see  Him  at  the  grave  of  Lazarus. 
(John  xi.)  He  groans  and  weeps,  and  those  groans 
and  tears  issue  from  the  profound  depths  of  a  per- 
fect manhood — from  that  perfect  human  heart  which 
felt,  as  no  other  heart  could  feel,  what  it  was  to 
stand  in  the  midst  of  a  scene  in  which  sin  had  pro- 
duced such  terrible  fruits.  But  then,  as  the  Resur- 
rection and  the  Life,  as  the  One  who  held  in  His 
omnipotent  grasp  "the  keys  of  hell  and  of  death," 
He  cries,  "Lazarus,  come  forth!"  and  death  and 


CHAPTERS    XXVIII.    &    XXIX.  331 

the  grave,  responsive  to  His  authoritative  voice,  throw 
open  their  massy  doors  and  let  go  their  captive. 

My  reader's  mind  will  easily  recur  to  other  scenes, 
in  the  gospels,  illustrative  of  the  beautiful  combina- 
tion of  the  wire  of  gold  with  "the  blue,  the  purple, 
the  scarlet,  and  the  fine-twined  linen;"  that  is  to 
say,  the  union  of  the  Godhead  with  the  manhood, 
in  the  mysterious  Person  of  the  Son  of  God  There 
is  nothing  new  in  the  thought ;  it  has  often  been 
noticed  by  those  who  have  studied,  with  any  amount 
of  care,  the  Scriptures  of  the  Old  Testament. 

It  is,  however,  always  edifying  to, have  the  blessed 
Lord  Jesus  introduced  to  our  thoughts  as  "very 
God  and  very  man."  The  Holy  Ghost  has,  with 
"cunning  workmanship,"  wrought  the  two  together 
and  presented  them  to  the  renewed  mind  of  the 
believer  to  be  enjoyed  and  admired.  May  we  have 
hearts  to  appreciate  such  teaching  ! 

Let  us  now,  ere  we  close  this  section,  look  for  a 
moment  at  chapter  xxix. 

It  has  been  already  remarked  that  Aaron  and  his 
sons  represent  Christ  and  the  Church,  but  in  the 
opening  verses  of  this  chapter  Aaron  gets  the  pre- 
cedency.— "And  Aaron  and  his  sons  thoti  shalt 
bring  unto  the  door  of  the  tabernacle  of  the  congre- 
gation, and  shalt  wash  them  with  water."  The 
washing  of  water  rendered  Aaron  t}Tpically  what 
Christ  is  intrinsically — holy.  The  Church  is  holy  in 
virtue  of  her  being  linked  with  Christ  in  resurrection 
life.  He  is  the  perfect  definition  of  what  she  is 
before  God.  The  ceremonial  act  of  washing  with 


332  EXODUS. 

water  expresses  the  action  of  the  Word  of  God. 
(SeeEph.  v.  26.) 

"Then  shalt  thou  take  the  anointing  oil,  and 
pour  it  upon  his  head,  and  anoint  him."  (Ver.  7.) 
Here  we  have  the  Spirit ;  but  let  it  be  noted  that 
Aaron  was  anointed  before  the  blood  was  shed,  be- 
cause he  stands  before  us  as  the  type  of  Christ,  who, 
in  virtue  of  what  He  was  in  His  own  Person,  was 
anointed  with  the- Holy  Ghost,  long  before  the  work 
of  the  cross  was  accomplished.  The  sons  of  Aaron, 
on  the  other  hand,  were  not  anointed  until  after  the 
blood  was  shed. —  "Then  shalt  thou  kill  the  ram, 
and  take  of  his  blood,  and  put  it  upon  the  tip  of 
the  right  ear  of  Aaron,  and  upon  the  tip  of  the  right 
ear  of  his  sons,  and  upon  the  thumb  of  their  right 
hand,  and  upon  the  great  toe  of  their  right  foot,  and 
sprinkle  the  blood  upon  the  altar  round  about.* 
And  thou  shalt  take  of  the  blood  that  is  upon  the 
altar,  and  of  the  anointing  o*7,  and  sprinkle  it  upon 
Aaron,  and  upon  his  garments,  and  upon  his  sons, 
and  upon  the  garments  of  his  sons  with  him."  (Ver. 
20,  21.)  As  regards  the  Church,  the  blood  of  the 
cross  lies  at  the  foundation  of  every  thing.  She 
could  not  be  anointed  with  the  Holy  Ghost  until 
her  risen  Head  had  gone  into  heaven,  and  laid  upon 
the  throne  of  the  divine  Majesty  the  record  of  His 
accomplished  sacrifice.  4  4  This  Jesus  hath  God  raised 
up,  whereof  we  all  are  witnesses.  Therefore  being 

*  The  ear,  the  hand,  and  the  foot,  are  all  consecrated  to  God  in 
the  power  of  accomplished  atonement,  and  by  the  energy  of  the 
Holy  Ghost. 


CHAPTERS    XXVIII,    &    XXIX.  333 

by  the  right  hand  of  God  exalted,  and  having  re- 
ceived of  the  Father  the  promise  of  the  Holy  Ghost, 
He  hath  shed  forth  this  which  ye  now  see  and  hear." 
(Acts  ii.  32,  33.  Comp.  also  John  vii.  39  ;  Acts  xix. 
1-6.)  From  the  days  of  Abel  downward,  souls 
had  been  regenerated,  influenced, 'acted  upon,  and 
qualified  for  office  by  the  Holy  Ghost;  but  the 
Church  could  not  be  anointed  with  the  Holy  Ghost 
until  her  victorious  Lord  had  entered  heaven  and 
received,  on  her  behalf,  the  promise  of  the  Father. 
The  truth  of  this  doctrine  is  taught,  in  the  most 
direct  and  absolute  manner,  throughout  the  New 
Testament;  and  its  strict  integrity  is  maintained, 
in  the  type  before  us,  by  the  obvious  fact  that 
though  Aaron  was  anointed  before  the  blood  was 
shed  (ver.  7.),  }Tet  his  sons  were  not,  and  could  not 
be,  anointed  till  after  (ver.  21.). 

But  we  learn  more  from  the  order  of  anointing 
in  our  chapter  than  the  important  truth  with  respect 
to  the  work  of  the  Spirit  and  the  position  of  the 
Church ;  we  have  also  set  before  us  the  personal 
pre-eminence  of  the  Son. — "Thou  hast  loved  right- 
eousness, and  hated  iniquity ;  therefore  God,  even 
Tlry  God,  hath  anointed  Thee  with  the  oil  of  glad- 
ness above  Thy  fellows."  (Ps.  xlv.  7;  Heb.  i.  9.) 
This  must  ever  be  held  fast  in  the  convictions  and 
experience  of  the  people  of  God.  True,  the  infi- 
nite grace  of  God  is  set  forth  in  the  marvelous  fact 
that  guilty,  hell-deserving  sinners  should  ever  be 
spoken  of  in  such  terms — should  ever  be  styled  the 
'''"fellows"  of  the  Son  of  God;  but  let  us  never  for 


334  EXODUS. 

a  moment  forget  the  word  "above."  No  matter 
how  close  the  union  (and  it  is  as  close  as  God's 
eternal  counsels  of  redeeming  love  could  make  it), 
yet  " in  all  things"  Christ  must  "have  the  pre-emi- 
nence." It  could  not  be  otherwise.  He  is  Head 
over  all, — Head  'of  the  Church,  Head  of  creation, 
Head  of  angels,  Lord  of  the  universe.  There  is 
not  a  single  orb  that  rolls  alon^  the  heavens  that 

~  .  £3 

does  not  belong  to  Him,  and  move  under  His  con- 
trol ;  there  is  not  a  single  worm  that  crawls  along 
the  earth  which  is  not  under  His  sleepless  eye.  He 
is  "high  over  all,"  "the  first-begotten  from  the 
dead,"  and  "of  all  creation,"  "the  beginning  of 
the  creation  of  God."  "Every  family  in  heaven 
and  earth"  must  range  itself,  in  the  divine  cate- 
gory, under  Christ.  All  this  will  ever  be  thankfully 
owned  by  every  spiritual  mind  ;  yea,  the  very  enun- 
ciation of  it  sends  a  thrill  through  the  Christian's 
heart.  All  who  are  led  of  the  Spirit  will  rejoice  in 
every  unfolding  of  the  personal  glories  of  the  Son ; 
nor  can  they  tolerate,  for  a  single  instant,  any  thing 
derogatory  thereto.  Let  the  Church  be  raised  to 
the  loftiest  heights  of  glory,  it  will  be  her  joy  to 
bow  at  the  feet  of  Him  who  stooped  to  raise  her,  by 
virtue  of  His  completed  sacrifice,  into  union  with 
Himself;  who,  having  satisfied,  in  the  fullest  wa}T, 
all  the  claims  of  divine  justice,  can  gratify  all  the 
divine  affections  by  making  her  inseparably  one  with 
Himself,  in  all  His  infinite  acceptableness  with  the 
Father,  and  in  His  eternal  glory.  "He  is  not 
ashamed  to  call  them  brethren." 


CHAPTER    XXX.  335 

NOTE. —  I  purposely  forbear  entering  upon  the  subject  of  the 
offerings  in  chapter  xxix,  inasmuch  as  we  shall  have  the  various 
classes  of  offerings,  in  all  their  minute  detail,  fully  before  us  in. 
the  beok  of  Leviticus,  if  the  Lord  will. 


CHAPTER  XXX. 

THE  priesthood  being  instituted,  as  in  the  two 
preceding  chapters,  we  are  here  introduced  to 
the  position  of  true  priestly  worship  and  commun- 
ion. The  order  is  marked  and  instructive,  and, 
moreover,  precisely  corresponds  with  the  order  of 
the  believer's  experience.  At  the  brazen  altar,  he 
sees  the  ashes  of  his  sins ;  he  then  sees  himself 
linked  with  One  who,  though  personally  pure  and 
spotless,  so  that  He  could  be  anointed  without 
blood,  has,  nevertheless,  associated  us  with  Him- 
self in  life,  righteousness,  and  favor ;  and,  finally, 
he  beholds,  in  the  golden  altar,  the  preciousness 
of  Christ,  as  the  material  on  which  the  divine  affec- 
tions feed. 

Thus  it  is  ever ;  there  must  be  a  brazen  altar  and 
a  priest  before  there  can  be  a  golden  altar  and  in- 
cense. Very  many  of  the  children  of  God  have 
never  passed  the  brazen  altar  ;  they  have  never  yet, 
in  spirit,  entered  into  the  power  and  reality  of  true 
priestly  worship.  They  do  not  rejoice  in  a  full,  clear, 
divine  sense  of  pardon  and  righteousness, — they 
have  never  reached  the  golden  altar.  They  hope  to 
reach  it  when  they  die ;  but  it  is  their  privilege  to 
be  at  it  now.  The  work  of  the  cross  has  removed 


336  EXODUS. 

out  of  the  way  every  thing  which  would  act  as  a 
barrier  to  their  free  and  intelligent  worship.  The 
present  position  of  all  true  believers  is  at  the  golden 
altar  of  incense. 

This  altar  typifies  a  position  of  wondrous  blessed- 
ness. There  we  enjoy  the  reality  and  efficacy  of 
Christ's  intercession.  Forever  done  with  self  and 
all  pertaining  thereto,  so  far  as  any  expectation  of 
good  is  concerned,  we  are  to  be  occupied  with  what 
He  is  before  God.  We  shall  find  nothing  in  self 
but  defilement.  Every  exhibition  of  it  is  defiling ; 
it  has  been  condemned  and  set  aside  in  the  judg- 
ment of  God,  and  not  a  shred  or  particle  thereof  is 
to  be  found  in  the  pure  incense  and  pure  fire,  on  the 
altar  of  pure  gold  :  it  could  not  be.  We  have  been 
introduced,  "by  the  blood  of  Jesus,"  into  the  sanc- 
tuary— a  sanctuary  of  priestly  service  and  worship, 
in  which  there  is  not  so  much  as  a  trace  of  sin. 
We  see  the  pure  table,  the  pure  candlestick,  and 
the  pure  altar ;  but  there  is  nothing  to  remind  us  of 
self  and  its  wretchedness.  Were  it  possible  for 
aught  of  that  to  meet  our  view,  it  could  but  prove 
the  death- knell  of  our  worship,  mar  our  priestly 
food,  and  dim  our  light.  Nature  can  have  no  place 
in  the  sanctuary  of  God.  It,  together  with  all  its 
belongings,  has  been  consumed  to  ashes ;  and  we 
are  now  to  have  before  our  souls  the  fragrant  odor 
of  Christ,  ascending  in  grateful  incense  to  God: 
this  is  what  God  delights  in.  Every  thing  that  pre- 
sents Christ  in  His  own  proper  excellence  is  sweet 
and  acceptable  to  God.  Even  the  feeblest  expres- 


CHAPTER    XXX.  337 

sion  or  exhibition  of  Him,  in  the  life  or  worship  of 
a  saint,  is  an  odor  of  a  sweet  smell  in  which  God  is 
well  pleased. 

Too  often,  alas !  we  have  to  be  occupied  with  our 
failures  and  infirmities.  If  ever  the  workings  of  in- 
dwelling sin  be  suffered  to  rise  to  the  surface,  we 
must  deal  with  our  God  about  them,  for  He  cannot 
go  on  with  sin.  He  can  forgive  it,  and  cleanse  us 
from  it ;  He  can  restore  our  souls  by  the  gracious 
ministry  of  our  great  High-Priest ;  but  He  cannot 
go  on  in  company  with  a  single  sinful  thought.  A 
light  or  foolish  thought,  as  well  as  an  unclean  or 
covetous  one,  is  amply  sufficient  to  mar  a  Christian's 
communion,  and  interrupt  his  worship.  Should  any 
such  thought  spring  up,  it  must  be  judged  and  con- 
fessed, ere  the  elevated  joys  of  the  sanctuary  can  be 
known  afresh.  A  heart  in  which  lust  is  working  is 
not  enjoying  the  proper  occupations  of  the  sanctu- 
aiy.  When  we  are  in  our  proper  priestly  condition, 
nature  is  as  though  it  had  no  existence ;  then  we 
can  feed  upon  Christ :  we  can  taste  the  divine  lux- 
ury of  being  wholly  at  leisure  from  ourselves,  and 
wholly  engrossed  with  Christ. 

All  this  can  only  be  produced  by  the  power  of 
the  Spirit.  There  is  no  need  of  seeking  to  work  up 
nature's  devotional  feelings,  by  the  various  appli- 
ances of  systematic  religion  ;  there  must  be  pure 
fire  as  well  as  pure  incense.  (Comp.  Lev.  x.  1,  with 
xvi.  12.)  All' efforts  at  worshiping  God  by  the  un- 
hallowed powers  of  nature  come  under  the  head  of 
" strange  fire."  God  is  the  object  of  worship; 


338  EXODUS. 

Christ  the  ground  and  the  material  of  worship  ; 
the  Holy  Ghost  the  power  of  worship. 

Properly  speaking,  then,  as  in  the  brazen  altar 
we  have  Christ  in  the  value  of  His  sacrifice,  so  in 
the  golden  altar  we  have  Christ  in  the  value  of  His 
intercession.  This  will  furnish  my  reader  with  a 
still  clearer  sense  of  the  reason 'why  the  priestly 
office  is  introduced  between  the  two  altars.  There 
is,  as  might  be  expected,  an  intimate  connection 
between  the  two,  for  Christ's  intercession  is  founded 
upon  His  sacrifice.  "And  Aaron  shall  make  an 
atonement  upon  the  horns  of  it  once  in  a  year  with 
the  blood  of  the  sin-offering  of  atonements:  once 
in  the  year  shall  he  make  atonement  upon  it  through- 
out your  generations:  it  is  most  holy  unto  the 
Lord."  AH  rests  upon  the  immovable  foundation 
of  SHED  BLOOD.  "Almost  all  things  are  by  the 
law  purged  with  blood ;  and  without  shedding  of 
blood  is  no  remission.  It  was  therefore  necessary 
that  the  patterns  of  things  in  the  heavens  should  be 
purified  with  these ;  but  the  heavenly  things  them- 
selves with  better  sacrifices  than  these.  For  Christ 
is  not  entered  into  the  holy  places  made  wTith  hands, 
which  are  the  figures  of  the  true ;  but  into  heaven 
itself,  now  to  appear  in  the  presence  of  God  for  us." 
(Heb.  ix.  22-24.) 

From  verse  11-16  we  have  the  atonement  money 
for  the  congregation.  All  were  to  pay  alike.— 
"The  rich  shall  not  give  more,  and  the  poor  shall 
not  give  less,  than  half  a  shekel,  when  they  give 
an  offering  unto  the  Lord,  to  make  an  atonement 


CHAPTER    XXX.  33  i) 

for  your  souls."  In  the  matter  of  atonement,  all 
must  stand  on  one  common  platform.  There  may 
be  a  vast  difference  in  knowledge,  in  experience, 
in  capacity,  in  attainment,  in  zeal,  in  devotedness, 
but  the  ground  of  atonement  is  alike  to  all.  The 
great  apostle  of  the  Gentiles  and  the  feeblest  lamb 
in  all  the  flock  of  Christ  stand  on  the  same  level  as 
regards  atonement.  This  is  a  very  simple  and  a 
very  blessed  truth.  All  may  not  be  alike  devoted 
and  fruitful;  but  "the  precious  blood  of  Christ," 
and  not  devotedness  or  fruitfulness,  is  the  solid 
and  everlasting  ground  of  the  believer's  rest.  The 
more  we  enter  into  the  truth  and  power  of  this,  the 
more  fruitful  shall  we  be. 

In  the  last  chapter  of  Leviticus  we  find  another 
kind  of  valuation.  When  any  one  made  "  a  singular 
vow,"  Moses  valued  him  according  to  his  age.  In 
other  words,  when  any  one  ventured  to  assume  the 
ground  of  capacity,  Moses,  as  the  representative  of 
the  claims  of  God,  estimated  him  u  after  the  shekel 
of  the  sanctuary. ' '  If  he  were ' c  poorer ' '  than  Moses* 
estimation,  then  he  was  to  "present  himself  before 
the  priest,"  the  representative  of  the  grace  of  God, 
who  was  to  value  him  "according  to  his  ability  that 
vowed." 

Blessed  be  God,  we  know  that  all  His  claims  have 
been  answered,  and  all  our  vows  discharged,  by  One 
who  was  at  once  the  Representative  of  His  claims 
and  the  Exponent  of  His  grace,  who  finished  the 
work  of  atonement  upon  the  cross,  and  is  now  at 
the  right  hand  of  God.  Here  is  sweet  rest  for  the 


340  EXODUS. 

heart  and  conscience.  Atonement  is  the  first  thing 
to  get  hold  of,  and  we  shall  never  lose  sight  of  it. 
Let  our  range  of  intelligence  be  ever  so  wide,  our 
fund  of  experience  ever  so  rich,  our  tone  of  devo- 
tion ever  so  elevated,  we  shall  always  have  to  fall 
back  upon  the  one  simple,  divine,  unalterable,  soul- 
sustaining  doctrine  of  THE  BLOOD.  Thus  it 
has  ever  been  in  the  history  of  God's  people,  thus 
it  is,  and  thus  it  ever  will  be.  The  most  deeply- 
taught  and  gifted  servants  of  Christ  have  always 
rejoiced  to  come  back  to  "that  one  well-spring  of 
delight,"  at  which  their  thirsty  spirits  drank  when 
first  they  knew  the  Lord ;  and  the  eternal  song  of 
the  Church  in  glory  will  be,  "Unto  Him  that  loved 
us,  and  washed  us  from  our  sins  in  His  own  blood." 
The  courts  of  heaven  will  ever  resound  with  the 
glorious  doctrine  of  the  blood. 

From  verse  17-21  we  are  presented  with  "the 
brazen  laver  and  its  foot" — the  vessel  of  washing 
and  the  basis  thereof.  These  two  are  always  pre- 
sented together.  (See  chap.  xxx.  28  ;  xxxviii.  8  ;  xl. 
11.)  In  this  laver  the  priests  washed  their  hands 
and  feet,  and  thus  maintained  that  purity  which 
was  essential  to  the  proper  discharge  of  their 
priestly  functions  It  was  not,  by  any  means,  a 
question  of  a  fresh  presentation  of  blood  ;  but  sim- 
ply that  action  by  which  they  were  preserved 
in  fitness  for  priestly  service  and  worship. — "When 
they  go  into  the  tabernacle  of  the  congregation, 
they  shall  wash  with  water,  that  they  die  not ;  or 
when  they  come  near  to  the  altar  to  minister,  to 


CHAPTER    XXX.  341 

burn  offering  made  by  fire  unto  the  Lord :  so  they 
shall  wash  their  hands  and  their  feet,  that  they  die 
not." 

There  can  be  no  true  communion  with  God,  save 
as  personal  holiness  is  diligently  maintained.  "If 
we  say  that  we  have  fellowship  with  Him,  and  walk 
in  darkness,  we  lie,  and  do  not  the  truth."  (1  John 
i.  6.)  This  personal  holiness  can  only  flow  from 
the  action  of  the  Word  of  God  on  our  works  and 
ways. — "By  the  words  of  Thy  lips  I  have  kept  me 
from  the  paths  of  the  destroyer."  Our  constant 
failure  in  priestly  ministry  may  be  accounted  for  by 
our  neglecting  the  due  use  of  the  laver.  If  our 
ways  are  not  submitted  to  the  purgative  action  of 
the  Word — if  we  continue  in  the  pursuit  or  practice 
of  that  which,  according  to  the  testimony  of  our 
own  consciences,  the  Word  distinctly  condemns, 
the  energy  of  our  priestly  character  will  assuredly 
be  lacking.  Deliberate  continuance  in  evil  and  true 
priestly  worship  are  wholly  incompatible.  ' c  Sanctify 
them  through  Thy  truth :  Thy  Word  is  truth. ' '  If  we 
have  any  uncleanness  upon  us,  we  cannot  enjoy  the 
presence  of  God.  The  effect  of  His  presence  would 
then  be  to  convict  us  by  its  holy  light.  But  when 
we  are  enabled,  through  grace,  to  cleanse  our  wa}-, 
by  taking  heed  thereto  according  to  God's  Word, 
we  are  then  morally  capacitated  for  the  enjoyment 
of  His  presence. 

My  reader  will  at  once  perceive  what  a  vast  field 
of  practical  truth  is  here  laid  open  to  him,  and  also 
how  largely  the  doctrine  of  the  brazen  laver  is 

23 


342  EXODUS. 

brought  out  in  the  New  Testament.  Oh  that  all 
those  who  are  privileged  to  tread  the  courts  of  the 
sanctuary,  in  priestly  robes,  and  to  approach  the 
altar  of  God,  in  priestly  worship,  may  keep  their 
hands  and  feet  clean  by  the  use  of  the  true  laver. 

It  may  be  interesting  to  note  that  the  laver,  with 
its  foot,  was  made  "of  the  looking-glasses  of  the 
women  assembling,  which  assembled  at  the  door  of 
the  tabernacle  of  the  congregation."  (See  chap, 
xsxviii.  8. )  This  fact  is  full  of  meaning.  We  are 
ever  prone  to  be  "  like  a  man  beholding  his  natural 
face  in  a  glass  ;  for  he  beholdeth  himself  and  goeth 
away,  and  straightway  forgetteth  what  manner  of 
man  he  was."  Nature's  looking-glass  can  never 
furnish  a  clear  and  permanent  view  of  our  true  con- 
dition. "But  whoso  looketh  into  the  perfect  law 
of  liberty,  and  continueth  therein,  he  being  not  a 
forgetful  hearer,  but  a  doer  of  the  work,  this  man 
shall  be  blessed  in  his  deed."  ( James  i.  23-25.) 
The  man  who  has  constant  recourse  to  the  Word  of 
God,  and  who  allows  that  Word  to  tell  upon  his 
heart  and  conscience,  will  be  maintained  in  the  holy 
activities  of  the  divine  life. 

Intimately  connected  with  the  searching  and 
cleansing  action  of  the  Word  is  the  efficacy  of  the 
priestly  ministry  of  Christ.  "For  the  Word  of  God 
is  quick  and  powerful  p.e.,  living  and  energetic], 
and  sharper  than  any  two-edged  sword,  piercing 
even  to  the  dividing  asunder  of  soul  and  spirit,  and 
of  the  joints  and  marrow,  and  is  a  discerner  of  the 
thoughts  and  intents  of  the  heart ;  neither  is  there 


CHAPTER    XXX.  343 

any  creature  that  is  not  manifest  in  His  sight ;  but 
all  things  are  naked  and  opened  unto  the  eyes  of 
Him  with  whom  we  have  to  do."  Then  the  inspired 
apostle  immediately  adds,  "Seeing  then  that  we 
have  a  great  High-Priest,  that  is  passed  into  the 
heavens,  Jesus  the  Son  of  God,  let  us  hold  fast  our 
profession.  For  we  have  not  a  high-priest  which 
cannot  be  touched  with  the  feeling  of  our  infirmities  ; 
but  was  in  all  points  tempted  like  as  we  are,  yet 
without  sin.*  Let  us  therefore  come  boldly  unto  the 
throne  of  grace,  that  we  may  obtain  mercy,  and  find 
grace  to  help  in  time  of  need."  (Heb.  iv.  12-16,) 

The  more  keenly  we  feel  the  edge  of  the  Word, 
the  more  we  shall  prize  the  merciful  and  gracious 
ministry  of  our  High-Priest.  The  two  things  go 
together.  They  are  the  inseparable  companions  of 
the  Christian's  path.  Hence,  it  is  only  as  I  am 
making  use  of  the  laver  that  I  can  approach  the 
altar.  Worship  must  ever  be  presented  in  the 
power  of  holiness.  We  must  lose  sight  of  nature, 
as  reflected  in  a  looking-glass,  and  be  wholly  occu- 
pied with  Christ,  as  presented  in  the  Word.  In  this 
way  only  shall  the  "hands  and  feet" — the  works 
and  ways — be  cleansed,  according  to  the  purification 
of  the  sanctuary. 

From  verse  22-33  we  have  the  "holy  anointing 
oil,"  with  which  the  priests,  together  with  all  the 
furniture  of  the  tabernacle,  were  anointed.  In 

*  Literally,  "sin  excepted"  (x&)pi$  d/mapTia^;  i.e.,  He  was 
tempted— tested  and  tried— in  every  way  from  without,  sin  ex- 
cepted, for  sin  was  not  in  Him. 


344  EXODUS. 

this  we  discern  a  type  of  the  varied  graces  of  the 
Holy  Ghost,  which  were  found,  in  all  their  divine 
fullness,  in  Christ.  "All  thy  garments  smell  of 
myrrh,  and  aloes,  and  cassia,  out  of  the  ivory 
palaces,  whereby  they  have  made  thee  glad."  (Ps. 
xlv.  8.)  "God  anointed  Jesus  of  Nazareth  with 
the  Holy  Ghost  and  with  power."  (Acts  x.  38.) 
All  the  graces  of  the  Spirit,  in  their  perfect  fra- 
grance, centred  in  Christ ;  and  it  is  from  Him 
alone  they  can  flow.  He,  as  to  His  humanity, 
was  conceived  of  the  Holy  Ghost;  and,  ere  He 
entered  upon  His  public  ministry,  He  was  anointed 
with  the  Holy  Ghost;  and  finally,  when  He  had 
taken  His  seat  on  high,  in  token  of  an  accomplished 
redemption,  He  shed  forth  upon  His  body,  the 
Church,  the  precious  gifts  of  the  Holy  Ghost.  (See 
Matt.  i.  20;  iii.  16,  17;  Luke  iv.  18,  19;  Acts  ii. 
33  ;  x.  45,  46  ;  Eph.  iv.  8-13.) 

It  is  as  those  who  are  associated  with  this  ever- 
blessed  and  highly- exalted  Christ  that  believers  are 
partakers  of  the  gifts  and  graces  of  the  Holy  Ghost ; 
and,  moreover,  it  is  as  they  walk  in  habitual  near- 
ness to  Him  that  they  either  enjoy  or  emit  the 
fragrance  thereof.  The  unrenewed  man  knows  no- 
thing of  this.  "Upon  man's  flesh  it  shall  not  be 
poured."  The  graces  of  the  Spirit  can  never  be 
connected  with  man's  flesh,  for  the  Holy  Ghost  can- 
not own  nature.  Not  one  of  the  fruits  of  the  Spirit 
was  ever  yet  produced  "in  nature's  barren  soil." 
We  "must  be  born  again."  It  is  only  as  connected 
with  the  new  man,  as  being  part  of  "the  new 


CHAPTER    XXX.  345 

creation,"  that  we  can  know  any  thing  of  the  fruits 
of  the  Holy  Ghost.  It  is  of  no  possible  value  to 
seek  to  imitate  those  fruits  and  graces.  The  fairest 
fruits  that  ever  grew  in  nature's  fields,  in  their  high- 
est state  of  cultivation — the  most  amiable  traits 
which  nature  can  exhibit — must  be  utterly  disowned 
in  the  sanctuary  of  God.  "Upon  man's  flesh  shall 
it  not  be  poured ;  neither  shall  ye  make  any  other 
like  it,  after  the  composition  of  it :  it  is  holy,  and 
it  shall  be  holy  unto  you.  Whosoever  compoundeth 
any  like  it,  or  whosoever  putteth  any  of  it  upon  a 
stranger,  shall  even  be  cut  off  from  his  people." 
There  must  be  no  counterfeit  of  the  Spirit's  work ; 
all  must  be  of  the  Spirit — wholly,  really  of  the  Spirit. 
Moreover,  that  which  is  of  the  Spirit  must  not  be 
attributed  to  man.  "The  natural  man  receiveth  not 
the  things  of  the  Spirit  of  God ;  for  they  are  fool- 
ishness unto  him:  neither  can  he  know  them,  be- 
cause they  are  spiritually  discerned."  (1  Cor.  ii.  14.) 
There  is  a  very  beautiful  allusion  to  this  c '  holy 
anointing  oil"  in  one  of  the  "songs  of  degrees." — 
"Behold,"  sa}Ts  the  Psalmist,  "how  good  and  how 
pleasant  it  is  for  brethren  to  dwell  together  in  unity ! 
It  is  like  the  precious  ointment  upon  the  head,  that 
ran  down  upon  the  beard,  even  Aaron's  beard  ;  that 
went  down  to  the  skirts  of  his  garments."  (Psalms 
cxxxiii.  1,  2.)  The  head  of  the  priestly  house  being 
anointed  with  the  holy  oil,  the  very  "skirts  of  his 
garments"  must  exhibit  the  precious  effects.  May 
my  reader  experience  the  power  of  this  anointing ! 
May  he  know  the  value  of  having  "an  unction  from 


346  EXODUS. 

the  Holy  One,"  arid  of  being  " sealed  with  that 
Holy  Spirit  of  promise  "  !  Nothing  is  of  any  value 
in  the  divine  estimation  save  that  which  connects 
itself  immediately  with  Christ,  and  whatever  is  so 
connected  can  receive  the  holy  anointing. 

In  the  concluding  paragraph  of  this  most  com- 
prehensive chapter,  we  have  the  "sweet  spices 
tempered  together,  pure  and  holy."  This  surpass- 
ingly precious  perfume  presents  to  us  the  unmeas- 
ured and  immeasurable  perfections  of  Christ.  There 
was  no  special  quantity  of  each  ingredient  prescribed, 
because  the  graces  that  dwell  in  Christ,  the  beauties 
and  excellencies  that  are  concentrated  in  His  ador- 
able Person,  are  without  limit.  Naught  save  the 
infinite  mind  of  Deity  could  scan  the  infinite  per- 
fections of  Him  in  whom  all  the  fullness  of  Deity 
dwelleth ;  and  as  eternity  rolls  along  its  course  of 
everlasting  ages,  those  glorious  perfections  will  ever 
be  unfolding  themselves  in  the  view  of  worshiping 
saints  and  angels.  Ever  and  anon,  as  some  fresh 
beams  of  light  shall  burst  forth  from  that  central 
Sun  of  divine  glory,  the  courts  of  heaven  above, 
and  the  wide  fields  of  creation  beneath,  shall  resound 
with  thrilling  Alleluiahs  to  Him  who  was,  who  is, 
and  who  ever  shall  be  the  object  of  praise  to  all 
the  ranks  of  created  intelligence. 

But  not  only  was  there  no  prescribed  quantity  of 
the  ingredients  ;  we  also  read,  "Of  each  there  shall 
be  a  like  weight."  Every  feature  of  moral  excel- 
lence found  its  due  place  and  proper  proportions  in 
Christ.  No  one  quality  ever  displaced  or  interfered 


CHAPTER    XXX.  347 

with  another  ;  all  was  "tempered  together,  pure  and 
holy,"  and  emitted  an  odor  so  fragrant  that  none 
but  God  could  appreciate  it. 

"And  thou  shalt  beat  some  of  it  very  small,  and 
put  of  it  before  the  testimony  in  the  tabernacle  of  the 
congregation,  where  I  will  meet  with  thee:  it  shall 
be  unto  you  most  holy."  There  is  uncommon  depth 
and  power  in  the  expression  "very  small."  It 
teaches  us  that  every  little  movement  in  the  life  of 
Christ,  every  minute  circumstance,  every  act,  every 
word,  every  look,  every  feature,  every  trait,  every 
lineament,  emits  an  odor  produced  by  an  equal  pro- 
portion— "a  like  weight"  of  all  the  divine  graces 
that  compose  His  character.  The  smaller  the  per- 
fume was  beaten,  the  more  its  rare  and  exquisite 
temper  was  manifested. 

"And  as  for  the  perfume  which  thou  shalt  make, 
ye  shall  not  make  to  yourselves  according  to  the 
composition  thereof;  it  shall  be  unto  thee  holy  for 
the  Lord.  Whosoever  shall  make  like  unto  that,  to 
smell  thereto,  shall  even  be  cut  off  from  his  people." 
This  fragrant  perfume  was  designed  exclusively  for 
Jehovah.  Its  place  was  "before  the  testimony." 
There  is  that  in  Jesus  which  only  God  could  appre- 
ciate. True,  every  believing  heart  can  draw  nigh 
to  His  matchless  Person,  and  more  than  satisfy  its 
deepest  and  most  intense  longings ;  still,  after  all 
God's  redeemed  have  drunk  to  the  utmost  of  their 
capacity,  after  angels  have  gazed  on  the  peerless 
glories  of  the  Man  Christ  Jesus  as  earnestly  as 
their  vision  is  capable  of, — after  all,  there  will  be 


348  EXODUS. 

that  in  Him  which  God  alone  can  fathom  and  enjoy. 
No  human  or  angelic  eye  could  duly  trace  the  ex- 
quisitely minute  parts  of  that  holy  perfume  "beaten 
very  small,"  nor  could  earth  afford  a  proper  sphere 
in  which  to  emit  its  divine  and  heavenly  odor. 

Thus,  then,  we  have,  in  our  rapid  sketch,  reached 
the  close  of  a  clearly  marked  division  of  our  book. 
We  began  at  "  the  ark  of  the  covenant,"  and  trav- 
eled out  to  "the  altar  of  brass  ;  "  we  returned  from 
"the  altar  of  brass,"  and  have  come  to  the  "holy 
perfume  ;  "  and,  oh,  what  a  journey  is  this,  if  only 
it  be  traveled,  not  in  company  with  the  false  and 
flickering  light  of  human  imagination,  but  by  the 
infallible  lamp  of  the  Holy  Ghost !  What  a  journey, 
if  only  it  be  traveled,  not  amid  the  shadows  of  a " 
by-gone  dispensation,  but  amid  the  personal  glories 
and  powerful  attractions  of  the  Son  which  are  there 
portrayed  !  If  my  reader  has  so  traveled  it,  he  will 
find  his  affections  more  drawn  to  Christ  than  ever ; 
he  will  have  a  loftier  conception  of  His  glory,  His 
beauty,  His  preciousness,  His  excellency,  His  ability 
to  heal  a  wounded  conscience  and  satisfy  a  longing 
heart ;  he  will  have  his  eyes  more  thoroughly  closed 
to  all  earth's  attractions,  and  his  ears  closed  to  all 
earth's  pretensions  and  promises  ; — in  one  word,  he 
will  be  prepared  to  utter  a  deeper  and  more  fervent 
Amen  to  the  words  of  the  inspired  apostle  when  he 
says,  "IF  ANY  MAN  LOVE  NOT  THE  LORD 
JESUS  CHRIST,  LET  HIM  BE  ANATHEMA 
MARAN-ATHA."*  (1  Cor.  xvi.  22.) 

*It  is  interesting  to  note  the  position  of  this  most  solemn  and 


CHAPTER  XXXI. 

rilHE  opening  of  this  brief  chapter  records  the 
JL  divine  call  and  the  divine  qualification  of 
"Bezaleel  and  Aholiab"  to  do  the  work  of  the 
tabernacle  of  the  congregation.  "And  the  Lord 
spake  unto  Moses,  saying,  'See,  /  have  called  by 
name  Bezalcel,  the  son  of  Uri,  the  son  of  Hur,  of 
the  tribe  of  Judah ;  and  I  have  filled  him  with  the 
spirit  of  God,  in  wisdom,  and  in  understanding, 
and  in  knowledge,  and  in  all  manner  of  workman- 
ship ....  Audi,  behold,  I  have  given  with  him 
Aholiab,  the  son  of  Ahisamach,  of  the  tribe  of  Dan  ; 
and  in  the  hearts  of  all  that  are  wise-hearted  I  have 
put  wisdom,  that  they  may  make  all  that  /  have 
commanded.''1  Whether  for  "the  work  of  the  tab- 
ernacle" of  old,  or  "the  work  of  the  ministry" 
now,  there  should  be  the  divine  selection,  the  divine 
call,  the  divine  qualification,  the  divine  appoint- 

startling  denunciation.  It  occurs  at  the  close  of  a  long  epistle  in 
the  progress  of  which  the  apostle  had  to  rebuke  some  of  the  gross- 
est practical  evils  and  doctrinal  errors.  How  solemn,  therefore, 
how  full  of  meaning  the  fact,  that  when  he  comes  to  pronounce 
his  anathema,  it  is  not  hurled  at  those  wrho  had  introduced  those 
errors  and  evils,  but  at  the  man  who  loves  not  the  Lord  Jesus 
Christ !  Why  is  this  ?  Is  it  because  the  Spirit  of  God  makes  little 
of  errors  and  evils  ?  Surely  not :  the  entire  epistle  unfolds  His 
thoughts  as  to  these.  But  the  truth  is,  when  the  heart  is  tilled 
with  love  to  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  there  is  an  effectual  safeguard 
against  all  manner  of  false  doctrine  and  evil  practice.  If  a  man 
does  not  love  Christ,  there  is  no  accounting  for  the  notions  he  may 
adopt,  or  the  course  he  may  pursue.  Hence  the  form  and  the 
position  of  the  apostolic  anathema. 


350  EXODUS. 

ment,  and  all  must  be  done  according  to  the  divine 
commandment.  Man  could  not  select,  call,  qualify, 
or  appoint  to  do  the  work  of  the  tabernacle  ;  neither 
can  he  to  do  the  work  of  the  ministry.  Further- 
more, no  man  could  presume  to  appoint  himself  to 
do  the  work  of  the  tabernacle  ;  neither  can  he  to  do 
the  work  of  the  ministry.  It  was,  it  is,  it  must  be, 
wholly  and  absolutely  divine.  Men  may  run  as  sent 
of  their  fellow,  or  men  may  run  of  themselves  ;  but 
let  it  be  remembered  that  all  who  run  without  being 
sent  of  God  shall  one  day  or  other  be  covered  with 
shame  and  confusion  of  face.  Such  is  the  plain  and 
wholesome  doctrine  suggested  by  the  words,  "I 
have  called,"  "I  have  filled,"  "I  have  given,"  "I 
have  put,"  "I  have  commanded."  The  words  of 
the  Baptist  must  ever  hold  good — -"  A  man  can  re- 
ceive nothing  except  it  be  given  him  from  heaven." 
(John  iii.  27.)  He  can  therefore  have  but  little 
room  to  boast  of  himself,  and  just  as  little  to  be 
jealous  of  his  fellow. 

There  is  a  profitable  lesson  to  be  learnt  from  a 
comparison  of  this  chapter  with  Genesis  iv.  "Tu- 
bal-cain  was  an  instructor  of  every  artificer  in  brass 
and  iron."  The  descendants  of  Cain  were  endowed 
with  unhallowed  skill  to  make  a  cursed  and  groan- 
ing earth  a  delectable  spot,  without  the  presence  of 
God:  uBezaleel  and  Aholiab,"  on  the  contrary, 
were  endowed  with  divine  skill  to  beautify  a  sanc- 
tuary which  was  to.be  hallowed  and  blessed  by  the 
presence  and  glory  of  the  God  of  Israel. 

Reader,  let  me  ask  you  just  to  pause  and  put  this 


CHAPTER    XXXI.  351 

solemn  question  to  your  conscience, — Whether  am 
I  devoting  whatever  of  skill  or  energy  I  possess  to 
the  interests  of  the  Church  which  is  God's  dwelling- 
place,  or  to  beautify  an  ungodly,  Christless  world  ? 
Say  not  in  thine  heart,  I  am  not  divinely  called  or 
divinely  qualified  for  the  work  of  the  ministry. 
Remember  that  though  all  Israel  were  not  Bezaleels 
or  Aholiabs,  yet  all  could  serve  the  interests  of  the 
sanctuary.  There  was  an  open  door  for  all  to  com- 
municate. Thus  it  is  now.  Each  one  has  a  place 
to  occupy,  a  ministry  to  fulfill,  a  responsibility  to 
discharge  ;  and  you  and  I  are  at  this  moment  either 
promoting  the  interests  of  the  house  of  God — the 
body  of  Christ — the  Church,  or  helping  on  the  God- 
less schemes  of  a  world  yet  stained  with  the  blood 
of  Christ  and  the  blood  of  all  His  martyred  saints. 
Oh,  let  us  deeply  ponder  this,  as  in  the  presence  of 
the  great  Searcher  of  hearts,  whom  none  can  de^ 
ceive — to  whom  all  are  known. 

Our  chapter  closes  with  a  special  reference  to  the 
institution  of  the  Sabbath.  It  was  referred  to  in 
chapter  xvi,  in  connection  with  the  manna ;  it  was 
distinctly  enjoined  in  chapter  xx,  when  the  people 
were  formally  put  under  law  ;  and  here  we  have  it 
again,  in  connection  with  the  setting  up  of  the  tab- 
ernacle. Whenever  the  nation  of  Israel  is  presented 
in  some  special  position,  or  recognized  as  a  people 
in  special  responsibility,  then  the  Sabbath  is  intro- 
duced. And  let  my  reader  carefully  note  both  the 
day  and  the  mode  in  which  it  was  to  be  observed, 
and  also  the  object  for  which  it  was  instituted  in 


352  EXODUS. 

Israel.  uYe  shall  keep  the  Sabbath,  therefore,  for 
it  is  holy  unto  }'ou:  every  one  that  defileth  it  shall 
surely  be  put  to  death;  for  whosoever  doeth  any 
work  therein,  that  soul  shall  be  cut  off  from  among 
his  people.  Six  days  may  work  be  done ;  but  in 
the  seventh  is  the  Sabbath  of  rest,  holy  to  the  Lord : 
whosoever  doeth  any  work  in  the  Sabbath  day,  he 
shall  surely  be  put  to  death."  This  is  as  explicit  and 
absolute  as  any  thing  can  be.  It  fixes  "the  seventh 
day"  and  none  other;  and  it  positively  forbids,  on 
pain  of  death,  all  manner  of  work.  There  can  be 
no  avoiding  the  plain  sense  of  this.  And  be  it 
remembered  that  there  is  not  so  much  as  a  single 
line  of  Scripture  to  prove  that  the  Sabbath  has  been 
changed,  or  the  strict  principles  of  its  observance 
in  the  smallest  degree  relaxed.  If  there  be  any 
Scripture  proof,  let  my  reader  look  it  out  for  his 
own  satisfaction. 

Now,  let  us  inquire  if  indeed  professing  Christians 
do  keep  God's  Sabbath  on  the  day  and  after  the 
manner  which  He  commanded.  It  were  idle  to  lose 
time  in  proving  that  they  do  not.  Well,  what  are 
the  consequences  of  a  single  breach  of  the  Sabbath? 
"Cut  off"— "put  to  death." 

But,  it  will  be  said,  we  "are  not  under  law,  but 
under  grace."  Blessed  be  God  for  the  sweet  as- 
surance !  Were  we  under  law,  there  is  not  one 
throughout  the  wide  range  of  Christendom  who 
should  not  Ion  &  since  have  fallen  beneath  the  stone 

o 

of  judgment,  even  upon  the  one  solitary  point  of  the 
Sabbath.  But,  if  we  are  under  grace,  what  is  the 


CHAPTER    XXXI.  853 

day  which  belongs  to  us  ?  Assuredly,  ' '  the  first  day 
of  the  week" — "the  Lord's  day."  This  is  the 
Church's  day — the  resurrection  day  of  Jesus,  who, 
having  spent  the  Sabbath  in  the  tomb,  rose  triumph- 
ant over  all  the  powers  of  darkness ;  thus  leading  ' 
His  people  out  of  the  old  .creation,  and  all  that 
pertains  thereto,  into  the  new  creation,  of  which  He 
is  the  Head,  and  of  which  the  first  day  of  the  week 
is  the  apt  expression. 

This  distinction  is  worthy  of  the  serious  attention 
of  the  reader.  Let  him  examine  it  prayerfully  in 
the  light  of  Scripture.  There  may  be  nothing  and 
there  may  be  a  great  deal  in  a  mere  name.  In  the 
present  instance,  there  is  a  great  deal  more  involved 
in  the  distinction  between  "the  Sabbath"  and  "the 
Lord's  day"  than  many  Christians  seem  to  be  aware 
of.  It  is  very  evident  that  the  first  day  of  the  week 
gets  a  place  in  the  Word  of  God  which  no  other  day 
gets.  No  other- day  is  ever  called  by  that  majestic 
and  elevated  title,  "The  Lord's  da}'."  Some,  I  am 
aware,  deny  that  Rev.  i.  10  refers  to  the  first  day  of 
the  week  ;  but  I  feel  most  fully  assured  that  sound 
criticism  and  sound  exegesis  do  both  warrant — yea, 
demand  the  application  of  that  passage,  not  to  the 
day  of  Christ's  advent  in  glory,  but  to  the  day  of 
His  resurrection  from  the  dead. 

But,  most  assuredly,  the  Lord's  day  is  never  once 
called  the  Sabbath.  So  far  from  this,  the  two  days 
are  again  and  again  spoken  of  in  their  proper  dis- 
tinctness. Hence,  therefore,  my  reader  will  have  to 
keep  clear  of  two  extremes.  In  the  first  place,  he 


354  EXODUS. 

will  have  to  avoid  the  legalism  which  one  finds  so 
much  linked  with  the  term  "  Sabbath ;"  and,  in  the 
second  place,  he  will  need  to  bear  a  very  decided 
testimony  against  every  attempt  to  dishonor  the 
Lord's  day,  or  lower  it  to  the  level  of  an  ordinary 
day.  The  believer  is.  delivered,  most  completely, 
from  the  observance  of  "days,  and  months,  and 
times,  and  years."  Association  with  a  risen  Christ 
has  taken  him  clean  out  of  all  such  superstitious 
observances.  But,  while  this  is  most  blessedly  true, 
we  see  that  "the  first  day  of  the  week"  has  a  place 
assigned  to  it  in  the  New  Testament  which  no  other 
has.  Let  the  Christian  give  it  that  place.  It  is  a 
sweet  and  happy  privilege,  not  a  grievous  yoke. 

Space  forbids  my  further  entrance  upon  this  in- 
teresting subject.  It  has  been  gone  into  elsewhere, 
as  already  intimated,  in  the  earlier  pages  of  this 
volume.  I  shall  close  these  remarks  by  pointing 
out,  in  one  or  two  particulars,  the  contrast  between 
"the  Sabbath"  and  "the  Lord's  day." 

1.  The  Sabbath  was  the  seventh  day;  the  Lord's 
day  is  the  first. 

2.  The  Sabbath  was  a  test  of  Israel's  condition  ; 
the  Lord's  clay  is  the  proof  of  the  Church's  accept- 
ance, on  wholly  unconditional  grounds. 

3.  The  Sabbath  belonged  to  the  old  creation ;  the 
Lord's  clay  belongs  to  the  new. 

4.  The  Sabbath  was  a  day  of  bodily  rest  for  the 
Jew;  the  Lord's  day  is  a  day  of  spiritual  rest  for 
the  Christian. 

5.  If  .the  Jew  worked  on  the  Sabbath,  he  was  to 


CHAPTER    XXXII.  355 

be  put  to  death :  if  the  Christian  does  not  work  on 
the  Lord's  day,  he  gives  little  proof  of  life; — that  is 
to  say,  if  he  does  not  work  for  the  benefit  of  the 
souls  of  men,  the  extension  of  Christ's  glory,  and 
the  spread  of  His  truth.  In  point  of  fact,  the 
devoted  Christian  who  possesses  any  gift  is  gen-  * 
erally  more  fatigued  on  the  evening  of  the  Lord's 
day  than  on  any  other  in  the  week,  for  how  can  he 
rest  while  souls  are  perishing  around  him  ? 

6.  The  Jew  was  commanded  by  the  law  to  abide 
in  his  tent ;  the  Christian  is  led  by  the  spirit  of  the 
gospel  to  go  forth,  whether  it  be  to  attend  the  public 
assembly  or  to  minister  to  the  souls  of  perishing 
sinners. 

The  Lord  enable  us,  beloved  reader,  to  rest  more 
artlessly  in,  and  labor  more  vigorously /or,  the  name 
of  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ  !  We  should  rest  in  the 
spirit  of  a  child,  and  labor  with  the  energy  of  a  man. 


CHAPTEK  XXXII. 

WE  have  now  to  contemplate  something  very 
different  from  that  which  has  hitherto  en- 
gaged our  attention.  "The  patterns  of  things  in 
the  heavens"  has  been  before  us — Christ  in  His 
glorious  Person,  gracious  offices,  and  perfect  work, 
as  set  forth  in  the  tabernacle  and  all  its  mystic  fur- 
niture. We  have  been,  in  spirit,  on  the  mount, 
hearkening  to  God's  own  words — the  sweet  utter- 
ances of  Heaven's  thoughts,  affections,  and  counsels, 


356  EXODUS. 

of  which  Jesus  is  "the  Alpha  and  Omega — the  be- 
ginning and  the  ending — the  first  and  the  last." 

Now,  however,  we  are  called  down  to  earth,  to 
behold  the  melancholy  wreck  which  man  makes  of 
every  thing  to  which  he  puts  his  hand.  "And  when 
the  people  saw  that  Moses  delayed  to  come  down 
out  of  the  mount,  the  people  gathered  themselves 
together  unto  Aaron,  and  said  unto  him,  'Up,  make 
us  gods,  which  shall  go  before  us ;  for  as  for  this 
Moses,  the  man  that  brought  us  up  out  of  the  land 
of  Eg}Tpt,  we  wot  not  what  is  become  of  him.'' 
What  degradation  is  here !  Make  us  gods  !  They 
were  abandoning  Jehovah,  and  placing  themseh»es 
under  the  conduct  of  manufactured  gods — gods  of 
man's  making.  Dark  clouds  and  heavy  mists  had 
gathered  round  the  mount.  They  grew  weary  of 
waiting  for  the  absent  one,  and  of  hanging  on  an 
unseen  but  real  arm.  They  imagined  that  a  god 
formed  by '  'graving  tool"  was  better  than  Jehovah, — 
that  a  calf  which  they  could  see  was  better  than  the 
invisible,  yet  every- where-present,  God, — a  visible 
counterfeit,  than  an  invisible  reality. 

Alas  !  alas  !  it  has  ever  been  thus  in  man's  his- 
tory. The  human  heart  loves  something  that  can  be 
seen ;  it  loves  that  which  meets  and  gratifies  the 
senses.  It  is  only  faith  that  can  "endure  as  seeing 
Him  who  is  invisible."  Hence,  in  every  age,  men 
have  been  forward  to  set  up  and  lean  upon  human 
imitations  of  divine  realities.  Thus  it  is  we  see  the 
counterfeits  of  corrupt  religion  multiplied  before 
our  eyes.  Those  things  which  we  know,  upon  the 


CHAPTER    XXXII.  357 

authority  of  God's  Word,  to  be  divine  and  heavenly 
realities,  the  professing  Church  has  transformed  into 
human  and  earthly  imitations.  Having  become 
weary  of  hanging  upon  an  invisible  arm,  of  trusting 
in  an  invisible  sacrifice,  of  having  recourse  to  an 
invisible  Priest,  of  committing  herself  to  the  guid- 
ance of  an  invisible  Head,  she  has  set  about  "mak- 
ing" these  things;  and  thus,  from  age  to  age,  she 
has  been  busily  at  work,  with  "graving  tool"  in 
hand,  graving  and  fashioning  one  thing  after  an- 
other, until  we  can  at  length  recognize  as  little 
similarity  between  much  that  we  see  around  us  and 
what  we  read  in  the  Word,  as  between  "a  molten 
calf"  and  the  God  of  Israel. 

"Make  us  gods!"  What  a  thought!  Man  called 
upon  to  make  gods,  and  people  willing  to  put  their 
trust  in  such!  My  reader,  let  us  look  within,  and 
look  around,  and  see  if  we  cannot  detect  something 
of  all  this.  We  read,  in  1  Cor.  x.,  in  reference  to 
Israel's  history,  that  "all  these  things  happened 
unto  them  for  ensamples  [or  types]  ;  and  they  are 
written  for  our  admonition,  upon  whom  the  ends  of 
the  world  are  come"  (ver.  11.).  Let  us,  then, 
seek  to  profit  by  the  "admonition."  Let  us  remem- 
ber that  although  we  may  not  just  form  and  bow 
down  before  "a  molten  calf,"  yet  that  Israel's  sin 
is  a  "type"  of  something  into  which  we  are  in  dan- 
ger of  falling.  Whenever  we  turn  away  in  heart 
from  leaning  exclusively  upon  God  Himself,  whether 
in  the  matter  of  salvation  or  the  necessities  of  the 
path,  we  are,  in  principle,  saying,  "Up,  make  us 
24 


358  EXODUS. 

gods."  It  is  needless  to  say  we  are  not,  in  our- 
selves, a  whit  better  than  Aaron  or  the  children  of 
Israel ;  and  if  they  acknowledge  a  calf  instead  of 
Jehovah,  we  are  in  danger  of  acting  on  the  same 
principle,  and  manifesting  the  same  spirit.  Our 
only  safeguard  is  to  be  much  in  the  presence  of  God. 
Moses  knew  that  the  "molten  calf "  was  not  Jeho- 
vah, and  therefore  he  did  not  acknowledge  it.  But 
when  we  get  out  of  the  divine  presence,  there  is  no 
accounting  for  the  gross  errors  and  evils  into  which 
we  may  be  betrayed. 

We  are  called  to  live  by  faith  ;  we  can  see  nothing 
with  the  eye  of  sense.  Jesus  is  gone  up  on  high, 
and  we  are  told  to  wait  patiently  for  His  appearing. 
God's  word,  carried  home  to  the  heart  in  the  energy 
of  the  Holy  Ghost,  is  the  ground  of  confidence  in 
all  things — temporal  and  spiritual,  present  and  fu- 
ture. He  tells  us  of  Christ's  completed  sacrifice ; 
we,  by  grace,  believe,  and  commit  our  souls  to  the 
efficacy  thereof,  and  know  we  shall  never  be  con- 
founded. He  tells  us  of  a  great  High-Priest,  passed 
into  the  heavens — Jesus,  the  Son  of  God,  whose  in- 
tercession is  all-prevailin*g ;  we,  by  grace,  believe, 
and  confidingly  lean  upon  His  ability,  and  know  we 
shall  be  saved  to  the  uttermost.  He  tells  us  of  the 
living  Head  to  whom  we  are  linked,  in  the  power  of 
resurrection  life,"  and  from  whom  we  can  never  be 
severed  by  any  influence,  angelic,  human,  or  diabol- 
ical ;  we,  by  grace,  believe,  and  cling  to  that  blessed 
Head  in  simple  faith,  and  know  we  shall  never  per- 
ish. He  tells  us  of  the  glorious  appearing  of  the 


CHAPTER    XXXII.  359 

Son  from  heaven ;  we,  through  grace,  believe,  and 
seek  to  prove  the  purifying  and  elevating  power  of 
"that  blessed  hope,"  and  know  *ve  shall  not  be 
disappointed.  He  tells  us  of  "an  inheritance,  in- 
corruptible, undefined,  and  that  fadeth  not  away, 
reserved  in  heaven  for  us,  who  •  are  kept  by  the 
power  of  God,"  for  entrance  thereinto  in  due  time  ; 
we,  through  grace,  believe,  and  know  we  shall  never 
be  confounded.  He  tells  us  the  hairs  of  our  head 
are  all  numbered,  and  that  we  shall  never  want  any 
good  thing ;  we,  through  grace,  believe,  and  enjoy 
a  sweetly  tranquilized  heart. 

Thus  it  is,  or,  at  least,  thus  our  God  would  have 
it.  But' then  the  enemy  is  ever  active  in  seeking  to 
make  us  cast  away  these  divine  realities,  take  up  the 
"graving  tool"  of  unbelief,  and  "make  gods"  for 
ourselves.  Let  us  watch  against  him,  pray  against 
him,  believe  against  him,  testify  against  him,  act 
against  him  :  thus  he  shall  be  confounded,  God  glo- 
rified, and  we  ourselves  abundantly  blessed. 

As  to  Israel,  in  the  chapter  before  us,  their  rejec- 
tion of  God  was  most  complete.  ' '  And  Aaron  said 
unto  them,  'Break  off  the  golden  earrings,  which 
are  in  the  ears  of  your  wives,  of  your  sons,  and  of 
your  daughters,  and  bring  them  unto  me/  .... 
And  he  received  them  at  their  hand,  and  fashioned 
it  with  a  graving  tool,  after  he  had  made  it  a  molten 
calf;  and  they  said,  4  These  be  thy  gods,  O  Israel, 
which  brought  thee  up  out  of  the  land  of  Egypt/ 
And  when  Aaron  saw  it,  he  built  an  altar  before 
it;  and  Aaron  made  proclamation,  and  said,  'To- 


360  EXODUS. 

morrow  is  a  feast  unto  the  Lord. ' '  This  was  en- 
tirely setting  aside  God,  and  putting  a  calf  in  His 
stead.  When  they  could  say  that  a  calf  had  brought 
them  up  out  of  Egypt,  they  had  evidently  aban- 
doned all  idea  of  the  presence  and  character  of  the 
true  God.  How  "quickly"  they  must  "have  turned 
aside  out  of  the  way,"  to  have  made  such  a  gross 
and  terrible  mistake  !  And  Aaron,  the  brother  and 
yoke-fellow  of  Moses,  led  them  on  in  this  ;  and,  with 
a  calf  before  him,  he  could  say,  "To-morrow  is  a 
feast  unto  Jehovah"  !  How  sad !  How  deeply  hum- 
bling! God  was  displaced  by  an  idol.  A  thing 
"graven  by  art  and  man's  device"  was  set  in  the 
place  of  "the  Lord  of  all  the  earth." 

All  this  involved,  on  Israel's  part,  a  deliberate 
abandonment  of  their  connection  with  Jehovah. 
They  had  given  Him  up  ;  and,  accordingly,  we  find 
Him,  as  it  were,  taking  them  on  their  own  ground. 
"And  the  Lord  said  unto  Moses,  'Go,  get  thee 
down  ;  for  thy  people,  which  thou  broughtest  out  of 
the  land  of  Egypt,  'have  corrupted  themselves :  they 
have  turned  aside  quickly  out  of  the  way  which  I 
commanded  them.  ...  I  have  seen  this  people, 
it  is  a  stiff-necked  people:  now  therefore  let  Me 
alone,  that  My  wrath  may  wax  hot  against  them, 
and  that  I  may  consume  them :  and  I  will  make  of 
thee  a  great  nation."  Here  was  an  open  door  for 
Moses  ;  and  here  he  displays  uncommon  grace,  and 
similarity  of  spirit  to  that  Prophet  whom  the  Lord 
was  to  raise  up  like  unto  him.  He  refuses  to  be  or 
to  have  any  thing  without  the  people.  He  pleads 


CHAPTER    XXXII.  361 

with  God  on  the  ground  of.  His  own  glory,  and  puts 
the  people  back  upon  Him  in  these  touching  words, 
"Lord,  why  doth  Thy  wrath  wax  hot  against  Thy 
people,  which  Thou  hast  brought  up  out  of  the  land 
of  Egypt  with  great  power  and  a  mighty  hand  ? 
Wherefore  should  the  Egyptians  speak  and  say, 
For  mischief  did  He  bring  them  out,  to  slay  them 
in  the  mountains,  and  to  consume  them  from  the 
face  of  the  earth?  Turn  from  Thy  fierce  wrath,  and 
repent  of  this  evil  against  Thy  people.  Remember 
Abraham,  Isaac,  and  Israel,  Thy  servants,  to  whom 
Thou  swarest  by  Thine  own  self,  and  saiclst  unto 
them,  4I  will  multiply  your  seed  as  the  stars  of 
heaven,  and  all  this  land  that  I  have  spoken  of  will 
I  give  unto  your  seed,  and  they  shall  inherit  it  for- 
ever.'' This  was  powerful  pleading.  The  glory 
of  God,  the  vindication  of  His  holy  name,  the  ac- 
complishment of  His  oath, — these  are  the  grounds 
on  which  Moses  entreats  the  Lord  to  turn  from  His 
fierce  wrath.  He  could  not  find  in  Israel's  conduct 
or  character  any  plea  or  ground  to  go  upon ;  he 
found  it  all  in  God  Himself. 

The  Lord  hath  said  unto  Moses,  "Thy  people 
which  thou  broughtest  up;"  but  Moses  replies  to 
the  Lord,  "Thy  people  which  Thou  hast  brought 
up."  They  were  the  Lord's  people  notwithstand- 
ing all ;  and  His  name,  His  glory,  His  oath,  were 
all  involved  in  their  destiny.  The  moment  the  Lord 
links  Himself  with  a  people,  His  character  is  in- 
volved, and  faith  will  ever  look  at  Him  upon  this 
solid  ground.  Moses  loses  sight  of  himself  entirely. 


362  EXODUS. 

His  whole  soul  is  engrossed  with  thoughts  of  the 
Lord's  glory  and  the  Lord's  people.  Blessed  serv- 
ant !  How  few  like  him  !  And  yet  when  we  con- 
template him  in  all  this  scene,  we  perceive  how 
infinitely  he  is  below  the  blessed  Master.  He  came 
down  from  the  mount,  and  when  he  saw  the  calf 
and  the  dancing,  his  "anger  waxed  hot,  and  he  cast 
the  tables  out  of  his  hands,  and  break  them  beneath 
the  mount."  The  covenant  was  broken,  and  the 
memorials  thereof  shattered  to  pieces ;  and  then, 
having  executed  judgment  in  righteous  indignation, 
he  "said  unto  the  people,  'Ye  have  sinned  a  great 
sin :  and  now  I  will  go  up  unto  the  Lord ;  perad- 
venture  I  shall  make  an  atonement  for  your  sin." 

How  different  is  this  from  what  we  see  in  Christ ! 
He  came  down  from  the  bosom  of  the  Father,  not 
with  the  tables  in  His  hands,  but  with  the  law  in  His 
heart.  He  came  down,  not  to  be  made  acquainted 
with  the  condition  of  the  people,  but  with  a  perfect 
knowledge  of  what  that  condition  was.  Moreover, 
instead  of  destroying  the  memorials  of  the  covenant 
and  executing  judgment,  He  magnified  the  law  and 
made  it  honorable,  and  bore  the-  judgment  of  His 
people,  in  His  own  blessed  Person,  on  the  cross ; 
and,  having  done  all,  He  went  back  to  heaven,  riot 
with  a  "per  adventure  I  shall  make  an  atonement  for 
your  sin,"  but  to  lay  upon  the  throne  of  the  Majesty 
in  the  highest  the  imperishable  memorials  of  an 
atonement  already  accomplished.  This  makes  a  vast 
and  truly  glorious  difference.  Thank  God,  we  need 
not  anxiously  gaze  after  our  Mediator,  to  know  if 


CHAPTER    XXXII.  363 

haply  He  shall  accomplish  redemption  for  us,  and 
reconcile  offended  Justice.  No  ;  He  has  done  it  all. 
His  presence  on  high  declares  that  the  whole  work  is 
finished.  He  could  stand  upon  the  confines  of  this 
world,  ready  to  take  His  departure,  and,  in  all  the 
calmness  of  a  conscious  Victor  (though  He  had  yet 
to  encounter  the  darkest  scene  of  all),  say,  UI  have 
glorified  Thee  on  the  earth :  I  have  finished  the  work 
which  Thou  gavest  Me  to  do. "  (John  xvii. )  Blessed 
Saviour !  we  may  well  adore  Thee,  and  well  exult 
in  the  place  of  dignity  and  glory  in  which  eternal 
justice  has  set  Thee.  The  highest  place  in  heaven 
belongs  to  Thee  ;  and  Thy  saints  only  wait  for  the 
time  when  "every  knee  shall  bow,  and  every  tongue 
confess  that  Jesus  Christ  is  Lord,  to  the  glory  of 
God  the  Father."  May  that  time  speedily  arrive  ! 

At  the  close  of  this  chapter,  Jehovah  asserts  His 
rights,  in  moral  government,  in  the  following  words : 
"Whosoever  hath  sinned  against  Me,  him  will  I  blot 
out  of  My  book.  Therefore  now  go,  lead  the  peo- 
ple unto  the  place  of  which  I  have  spoken  unto 
thee :  behold,  Mine  Angel  shall  go  before  thee : 
nevertheless,  in  the  day  wnen  I  visit  I  will  visit 
their  sin  upon  them."  This  is  God  in  government, 
not  God  in  the  gospel.  Here  He  speaks  of  blotting 
out  the  sinner;  in  the  gospel  He  is  seen  blotting  out 
sin.  A  wide  difference  ! 

The  people  are  to  be  sent  forward,  under  the 
mediatorship  of  Moses,  by  the  hand  of  an  angel. 
This  was  very  unlike  the  condition  of  things  which 
obtained  from  Egypt  to  Sinai.  They  had  forfeited 


364  EXODUS. 

all  claim  on  the  ground  of  law,  and  hence  it  only 
remained  for  God  to  fall  back  upon  His  own  sover- 
eignty and  say,  "I  will  be  gracious  to  whom  I  will 
be  gracious,  and  will  show  mercy  on  whom  I  will 
show  mercy." 


CHAPTERS  XXXIII.  &  XXXIV. 

TEHOVAH  refuses  to  accompany.  Israel  to  the 
*J  land  of  promise. — "I  will  not  go  up  in  the 
midst  of  thee,  (for  thou  art  a  stiff-necked  people^) 
lest  I  consume  thee  in  the  way."  At  the  opening 
of  this  book,  when  the  people  were  in  the  furnace 
of  Egypt,  the  Lord  could  say,  ' ;  I  have  surely  seen 
the  affliction  of  My  people  which  are  in  Egypt,  and 
have  heard  their  cry  by  reason  of  their  taskmasters  ; 
for  I  know  their  sorrows."  But  now  He  has  to  say, 
"I  have  seen  this  people,  and,  behold,  it  is  a  stiff- 
necked  people."  An  afflicted  people  is  an  object 
of  grace  ;  but  a  stiff-necked  people  must  be  humbled. 
The  cry  of  oppressed  Israel  had  been  answered  by 
the  exhibition  of  grace  ;  but  the  song  of  idolatrous 
Israel  must  be  answered  by  the  voice  of  stern  rebuke. 
uYe  are  a  stiff-necked  people:  I  will  come  up 
into  the  midst  of  thee  in  a  moment,  and  consume 
thee :  therefore  now  put  off  thy  ornaments  from 
thee,  that  I  may  know  what  to  do  unto  thee."  It 
is  only  when  we  are  really  stripped  of  all  nature's 
ornaments  that  God  can  deal  with  us.  A  naked 
sinner  can  be  clothed ;  but  a  sinner  decked  with 
ornaments  must  be  stripped.  This  is  alwa}Ts  true. 


CHAPTERS    XXXIII.    &    XXXIV.'  365 

We  must  be  stripped  of  all  that  pertains  to  self  ere 
we  can  be  clothed  with  that  which  pertains  to  God. 

"And  the  children  of  Israel  stripped  themselves 
of  their  ornaments  by  the  mount  Horeb."  There 
they  stood,  beneath  that  memorable  mount,  their 
feasting  and  singing  changed  into  bitter  lamenta- 
tions, their  ornaments  gone,  the  tables  of  testimony 
in  fragments.  Such  was  their  condition,  and  Moses 
at  once  proceeds  to  act  according  to  it.  He  could 
no  longer  own  the  people  in  their  corporate  charac- 
ter. The  assembly  had  become  entirely  defiled, 
having  set  up  an  idol  of  their  own  making  in  the 
place  of  God — a  calf  instead  of  Jehovah.  "And 
Moses  took  the  tabernacle,  and  pitched  it  without 
the  camp,  afar  off  from  the  camp,  and  called  it  'The 
tabernacle  of  the  congregation.'  '  Thus  the  camp 
was  disowned  as  the  place  of  the  divine  presence. 
God  was  not,  could  not,  be  there.  He  had  been 
displaced  by  a  human  invention.  A  new  gathering- 
point  was  therefore  set  up.  "And  it  came  to  pass, 
that  every  one  which  sought  the  Lord  went  out 
unto  the  tabernacle  of  the  congregation,  which  was 
without  the  camp." 

There  is  here  a  fine  principle  of  truth,  which  the 
spiritual  mind  will  readily  apprehend.  The  place 
which  Christ  now  occupies  is  "without  the  camp," 
and  we  are  called  upon  to  "go  forth  unto  Him." 
It  demands  much  subjection  to  the  Word  to  be 
able,  with  accuracy,  to  know  what  "the  camp" 
really  is,  and  much  spiritual  power  to  be  able  to  go 
forth  from  it;  and  still  more  to  be  able,  while  "far 


366  •  EXODUS. 

off  from  it,"  to  act  towards  those  in  it  in  the 
combined  power  of  holiness  and  grace ; — holiness, 
which  separates  from  the  defilement  of  the  camp ; 
grace,  which  enables  us  to  act  toward  those  who  are 
involved  therein. 

4 'And  the  Lord  spake  unto  Moses  face  to  face, 
as  a  man  speaketh  unto  his  friend.  And  he  turned 
again  into  the  camp ;  but  his  servant  Joshua,  the 
son  of  Nun,  a  young  man,  departed  not  out  of  the 
tabernacle."  Moses  exhibits  a  higher  degree  of 
spiritual  energy  than  his  servant  Joshua.  It  is  much 
easier  to  assume  a  position  of  separation  from  the 
camp  than  to  act  aright  towards  those  within. 

"And  Moses  said  unto  the  Lord,  'See,  Thou 
sayest  unto  me,  Bring  up  this  people ;  and  Thou 
hast  not  let  me  know  whom  Thou  wilt  send  with  me  ; 
yet  Thou  hast  said,  I  know  thee  by  name,  and  thou 
hast  also  found  grace  in  My  sight.'  "  Moses  en- 
treats the  accompanying  presence  of  Jehovah,  as  a 
proof  of  their  having  found  grace  in  His  sight. 
Were  it  a  question  of  mere  justice,  He  could  only 
consume  them  by  coming  in  their  midst,  because 
they  were  "  a  stiff-necked  people  ;  "  but  directly  He 
speaks  of  grace,  in  connection  with  the  mediator, 
the  very  stiff-neckedness  of  the  people  is  made  a 
plea  for  demanding  His  presence. — "If  now  I  have 
found  grace  in  Thy  sight,  O  Lord,  let  my  Lord,  I 
pray  Thee,  go  among  us ;  for  it  is  a  stiff-necked 
people;  and  pardon  our  iniquity  and  our  sin,  and 
take  us  for  Thine  inheritance."  This  is  touchingly 
beautiful.  A  "stiff-necked  people"  demanded  the 


CHAPTERS    XXXIII.   &    XXXIV.  367 

boundless  grace  and  exhaustless  patience  of  God. 
None  but  He  could  bear  with  them. 

4 'And  He  said,  'My  presence  shall  go  with  thee, 
and  I  will  give  thee  rest.'  '  Precious  portion  ! 
Precious  hope  !  The  presence  of  God  with  us,  all 
the  desert  through,  and  everlasting  rest  at  the  end  ! 
Grace  to  meet  our  present  need,  and  glory  as  our 
future  portion  !  Well  may  our  satisfied  hearts  ex- 
claim, "It  is  enough,  my  precious  Lord." 

In  chapter  xxxiv.  the  second  set  of  tables  is  given, 
not  to  be  broken,  like  the  first,  but  to  be  hidden  in 
the  ark,  above  which,  as  already  noticed,  Jehovah 
was  to  take  His  place,  as  Lord  of  all  the  earth,  in 
moral  government.  "And  he  hewed  two  tables  of 
stone  like  unto  the  first ;  and  Moses  rose  up  early  in 
the  morning,  and  went  up  unto  Mount  Sinai,  as  the 
Lord  had  commanded  him,  and  took  in  his  hand 
the  two  tables  of  stone.  And  the  Lord  descended 
in  the  cloud,  and  stood  with  him  there,  and  pro- 
claimed the  name  of  the  Lord.  And  the  Lord 
passed  by  before  him,  and  proclaimed,  'The  Lord, 
The  Lord  God,  merciful  and  gracious,  long-suffer- 
ing, and  abundant  in  goodness  and  truth,  keeping 
mercy  for  thousands,  forgiving  iniquity  and  trans- 
gression and  sin,  and  that  will  by  no  means  clear 
the  guilty ;  visiting  the  iniquity  of  the  fathers  upon 
the  children,  and  upon  the  children's  children,  unto 
the  third  and  to  the  fourth  generation.'  "  This,  be 
it  remembered,  is  God  as  seen  in  His  moral  govern- 
ment of  the  world,  and  not  as  He  is  seen  in  the 
cross — not  as  He  shines  in  the  face  of  Jesus  Christ 


368  EXODUS. 

— not  as  He  is  proclaimed  in  the  gospel  of  His 
grace.  The  following  is  an  exhibition  of  God  in  the 
gospel:  "And  all  things  are  of  God,  who  hath  rec- 
onciled us  to  Himself  by  Jesus  Christ,  and  hath  given 
to  us  the  ministry  of  reconciliation  ;  to  wit,  that  God 
was  in  Christ,  reconciling  the  world  unto  Himself, 
NOT  IMPUTING  their  trespasses  unto  them  ;  and 
hath  committed  unto  us  the  word  of  reconciliation.'91 
(2  Cor.  v.  18,  19.)  "Not  clearing"  and  "not  im- 
puting" present  two  totally  different  ideas  of  God. 
"Visiting  iniquities"  and  canceling  them  are  not 
the  same  thing.  The  former  is  God  in  government, 
the  latter  is  God  in  the  gospel.  In  2  Cor.  iii.  the 
apostle  contrasts  the  "ministration"  recorded  in 
Exodus  xxxiv.  with  "the  ministration"  of  the 
gospel.  My  reader  would  do  well  to  study  that 
chapter  with  care.  From  it  he  will  learn  that  any 
one  who  regards  the  view  of  God's  character  given 
to  Moses  on  Mount  Horeb  as  unfolding  the  gospel, 
must  have  a  very  defective  apprehension  indeed  of 
what  the  gospel  is.  Neither  in  creation  nor  yet  in 
moral  government  do  I  or  can  I  read  the  deep 
secrets  of  the  Father's  bosom.  Could  the  prodigal 
have  found  his  place  in  the  arms  of  the  One  revealed 
on  Mount  Sinai  ?  Could  John  have  leaned  his  head 
on  the  bosom  of  that  One  ?  Surely  not.  But  God 
has  revealed  Himself  in  the  face  of  Jesus  Christ. 
He  has  told  out,  in  divine  harmony,  all  His  attri- 
butes in  the  work  of  the  cross.  There  "Mercy  and 
Truth  have  met  together,  Righteousness  and  Peace 
have  kissed  each  other."  Sin  is  perfectly  put  away, 


CHAPTERS    XXXV. -XL.  369 

and  the  believing  sinner  perfectly  justified,  "BY 
THE  BLOOD  OF  THE  CROSS."  When  we  get 
a  view  of  God  as  thus  unfolded,  we  have  only,  like 
Moses,  to  "bow  our  head,  toward  the  earth  and 
worship;" — suited  attitude  for  a  pardoned  and  ac- 
cepted sinner  in  the  presence  of  God  ! 

CHAPTEKS  XXXV.— XL. 

THESE  chapters  contain  a  recapitulation  of  the 
various  parts  of  the  tabernacle  and  its  furniture  ; 
and  inasmuch  as  I  have  already  given  what  I  believe 
to  be  the  import  of  the  more  prominent  parts,  I 
will  not  add  more.  There  are,  however,  two  things 
in  this  section  from  which  we  may  deduce  most 
profitable  instruction,  and  these  are,  (first)  the 
voluntary  devotedncss  and  (secondly)  the  implicit  obe- 
dience of  the  people  with  respect  to  the  work  of  the 
tabernacle  of  the  congregation. 

And  first,  as  to  their  voluntary  devotedness,  we 
read,  "And  all  the  congregation  of  the  children  of 
Israel  departed  from  the  presence  of  Moses.  And 
they  came,  every  one  ivhose  heart  stirred  him  up,  and 
every  one  whom  his  spirit  made  willing,  and  they 
brought  the  Lord's  offering  to  the  work  of  the  tab- 
ernacle of  the  congregation,  and  for  all  His  service, 
and  for  the  holy  garments.  And  they  came,  both 
men  and  women,  as  many  as  were  willing -hearted, 
and  brought  bracelets,  and  earrings,  and  rings,  and 
tablets,  all  jewels  of  gold:  and  every  man  that 
offered  offered  an  offering  of  gold  unto  the  Lord. 


370  EXODUS. 

And  every  man  with  whom  was  found  blue,  and  pur- 
ple, and  scarlet,  and  fine  linen,  and  goats'  hair,  and 
red  skins  of  rams,  and  badgers'  skins,  brought 
them.  Every  one  that  did  offer  an  offering  of  silver 
and  brass,  brought  the  Lord's  offering:  and  every 
man  with  whom  was  found  shittim  wood,  for  any 
work  of  the  service,  brought  it.  And  all  the  women 
that  were  wise-hearted  did  spin  with  their  hands, 
and  brought  that  which  they  had  spun,  both  of  blue, 
and  of  purple,  and  of  scarlet,  and  of  fine  linen. 
And  all  the  women  whose  heart  stirred  them  up  in 
wisdom  spun  goats'  hair.  And  the  rulers  brought 
onyx  stones,  and  stones  to  be  set,  for  the  ephod,  and 
for  the  breastplate  ;  and  spice,  and  oil  for  the  light, 
and  for  the  anointing  oil,  and  for  the  sweet  incense. 
The  children  of  Israel  brought  a  willing  offering  unto 
the  Lord,  every  man  and  woman,  whose  heart  made 
them  ivilling  to  bring,  for  all  manner  of  work  which 
the  Lord  had  commanded  to  be  made  by  the  hand 
of  Moses."  (Chap.  xxxv.  20-29.)  And,  again,  we 
read,  "And  all  the  wise  men  that  wrought  all  the 
work  of  the  sanctuary,  came  every  man  from  his 
work  which  they  made  ;  and  they  spake  unto  Moses, 
saying,  'The  people  bring  much  more  than  enough 
for  the  service  of  the  work,  which  the  Lord  com- 
manded to  make.'  ....  For  the  stuff  they  had 
was  sufficient  for  all  the  work  to  make  it,  and  too 
much."  (Yer.  4-7.) 

A  lovely  picture  this  of  devotedness  to  the  work 
of  the  sanctuary !  It  needed  no  effort  to  move  the 
hearts  of  the  people  to  give,  no  earnest  appeals,  no 


CHAPTERS    XXXV.-XL.  371 

impressive  arguments.  Oh,  no !  their  ' '  hearts  stirred 
them  up."  This  was  the  true  way.  The  streams  01 
voluntary  devotedness  flowed  from  within.  "Rul- 
ers," "men,"  "women," — all  felt  it  to  be  their 
sweet  privilege  to  give  to  the  Lord,  not  with  a  narrow 
heart  or  niggard  hand,  but  after  such  a  princely 
fashion  that  they  had  "enough,  and  too  much." 

Then,  as  to  their  implicit  obedience,  we  read,  "Ac- 
cording to  all  that  the  Lord  commanded  Moses,  so  the 
children  of  Israel  made  all  the  work.  And  Moses 
did  look  upon  all  the  work,  and,  behold,  they  had 
done  it  as  the  Lord  had  commanded,  even  so  had  they 
done  it :  and  Moses  blessed  them."  (Chap,  xxxix.42, 
43.)  The  Lord  had  given  the  most  minute  instruc- 
tions concerning  the  entire  work  of  the  tabernacle. 
Every  pin,  every  socket,  every  loop,  every  tach,  was 
accurately  set  forth.  There  was  no  room  left  for 
man's  expediency,  his  reason,  or  his  common  sense. 
Jehovah  did  not  give  a  great  outline  and  leave  man 
to  fill  it  up.  He  left  no  margin  whatever  in  which  man 
might  enter  his  regulations.  By  no  means.  "  'See/ 
saith  He,  'that  thou  make  all  things  according  to  the 
pattern  showed  to  thee  in  the  mount.9  "  (Exod.  xxv. 
40  ;  xxvi.  30  ;  Heb.  viii.  5.)  This  left  no  room  for 
human  device.  If  man  had  been  allowed  to  make 
a  single  pin,  that  pin  would  most  assuredly  have 
been  out  of  place  in  the  judgment  of  God.  We  can 
see  what  man's  "graving  tool"  produces  in  chapter 
xxxii.  Thank  God,  it  had  no  place  in  the  taber- 
nacle. They  did,  in  this  matter,  just  what  they 
were  told — nothing  more,  nothing  less.  Salutary 


372  EXODUS. 

lesson  this  for  the  professing  church !  There  are 
many  things  in  the  history  of  Israel  which  we  should 
earnestly  seek  to  avoid, — their  impatient  murmur- 
ings,  their  legal  vows,  and  their  idolatry ;  but  in 
those  two  things  may  we  imitate  them.  May  our 
devotedness  be  more  whole-hearted,  and  our  obedi- 
ence more  implicit !  We  may  safely  assert  that  if 
all  had  not  been  done  "according  to  the  pattern 
showed  in  the  mount,'*  we  should' not  have  to  read, 
"then  a  cloud  covered  the  tent  of  the  congregation, 
and  the  glory  of  the  Lord  filled  the  tabernacle.  And 
Moses  was  not  able  to  enter  into  the  tent  of  the 
congregation,  because  the  cloud  abocle  thereon,  and 
the  glory  of  the  Lord  filled  the  tabernacle."  (Chap, 
xl.  34,  35.)  The  tabernacle  was  in  all  respects  ac- 
cording to  the  divine  pattern,  and  therefore  it  could 
be  filled  with  the  divine  glory. 

There  is  a  volume  of  instruction  in  this.  We  are 
too  prone  to  regard  the  Word  of  God  as  insufficient 
for  the  most  minute  details  connected  with  His  wor- 
ship and  service.  This  is  a  great  mistake — a  mistake 
which  has  proved  the  fruitful  source  of  evils  and 
errors  in  the  professing  church.  The  Word  of  God 
is  amply  sufficient  for  every  thing,  whether  as  re- 
gards personal  salvation  and  walk,  or  the  order  and 
rule  of  the  assembly.  "All  scripture  is  given  by 
inspiration  of  God,  and  is  profitable  for  doctrine,  for 
reproof,  for  correction,  for  instruction  in  righteous- 
ness, that  the  man  of  God  may  be  perfect,  thoroughly 
furnished  unto  all  good  works."  (2  Tim.  iii.  16,  17.) 
This  settles  the  question.  If  the  Word  of  God  fur- 


CHAPTERS    XXXV. -XL.  373 

nislies  a  man  thoroughly  unto  "all  good  works,"  it 
follows,  as  a  necessary  consequence,  that  whatever 
I  find  not  in  its  pages  cannot  possibly  be  a  good 
work.  And,  further,  be  it  remembered,  that  the 
divine  glory  cannot  connect  itself  with  aught  that  is 
not  according  to  the  divine  pattern. 


Beloved  reader,  we  have  now  traveled  together 
through  this  most  precious  book.  We  have,  I 
fondly  hope,  reaped  some  profit  from  our  study.  I 
trust  we  have  gathered  up  some  refreshing  thoughts 
of  Jesus  and  His  sacrifice  as  we  passed  along.  Fee- 
ble, indeed,  must  be  our  most  vigorous  thoughts, 
and  ^shallow  our  deepest  apprehensions,  as  to  the 
mind  of  God  in  all  that  this  book  contains.  It  is 
happy  to  remember  that,  through  grace,  we  are  on 
our  way  to  that  glory  where  we  shall  know  even  as  we 
are  known,  and  where  we  shall  bask  in  the  sunshine 
of  His  countenance  who  is  the  beginning  and  ending 
of  the  ways  of  God,  whether  in  creation,  in  provi- 
dence, or  redemption.  To  Him  I  do  most  affection- 
ately commend  you,  in  body,  soul,  and  spirit.  May 
you  know  the  deep  blessedness  of  having  your  por- 
tion in  Christ,  and  be  kept  in  patient  waiting  for 
His  glorious  advent.  Amen. 

a.  n.  M. 


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